International audienceModeling the Stark broadening of spectral lines in plasmas is a complex problem. The problem has a long history, since it plays a crucial role in the interpretation of the observed spectral lines in laboratories and astrophysical plasmas. One difficulty is the characterization of the emitter's environment. Although several models have been proposed over the years, there have been no systematic studies of the results, until now. Here, calculations from stochastic models and numerical simulations are compared for the Atoms 2014, 2 300 Lyman-α and -β lines in neutral hydrogen. Also discussed are results from the Helium-α and -β lines of Ar XVII

Context. We studied the Stark broadening of the He I 492.2 nm line, which is sometimes used for plasma diagnostics or to obtain information on different stellar parameters. Aims. The final aim of this study is to obtain tables of lines shapes as well as the relationships between different line parameters and the plasma electron density, temperature, or composition. The tables of profiles and the mathematical expressions obtained will be used in plasma diagnostics. Methods. We performed computer simulations and used a physical model that considers a weakly coupled plasma. Our computer simulations naturally take into account ion dynamical effects, which has permitted us to study the influence on the line shapes of imbalances in the plasma caused by different electron and gas temperatures. Results. Our computer simulations considered electron densities between 10 19 and 10 24 m −3 , electron temperatures between 5000 and 40 000 K, and plasmas of different compositions. The dependences obtained in the simulations for the line width, the ratio of intensities between the allowed and the forbidden components, or the distances between those components' peaks on the plasma conditions are shown and compared with experimental data. Numerical expressions for the line width and for the peak distances against the electron density were obtained from the simulation results and can be applied to obtain the electron density from experimental results. Full line profile tables are also supplied for use in plasma diagnostics.

Classical molecular dynamics simulations of hydrogen plasmas have been performed with an emphasis on the analysis of the equilibration process. The theoretical basis of the simulation model as well as numerically relevant aspects, such as the proper choice and definition of simulation units, are discussed in detail, thus proving a thorough implementation of the computer simulation technique. Because of the lack of experimental data, molecular dynamics simulations are often considered as idealized computational experiments for benchmarking of theoretical models. However, these simulations are certainly challenging and consequently a validation procedure is also demanded. In this work we develop an analytical statistical equilibrium model for computational validity assessment of plasma particle dynamics simulations. Remarkable agreement between model and molecular dynamics results including a classical treatment of the ionization-recombination mechanism is obtained for a wide range of plasma coupling parameter values. Furthermore, the analytical model provides guidance to securely terminate simulation runs once the equilibrium stage has been reached, which in turn gives confidence in the statistics that potentially may be extracted from time histories of simulated physical quantities.

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The broadening of the He I 447.1 nm line and its forbidden components in plasmas is studied using computer simulation techniques and the results are compared with our and other experiments. In these calculations wide ranges of electron densities and temperatures are considered. Experimental measurements are performed with a high electron density pulsed discharge and with a low electron density microwave torch at atmospheric pressure. Both calculations and experimental measurements are extended from previous works towards low electron densities in order to study the accuracy of plasma diagnostics using this line in ranges of interest in different practical applications. The calculation results are compared with experimental profiles registered in plasmas diagnosed using independent techniques. The obtained agreement justifies the use of these line parameters for plasma diagnostics. The influence of self-absorption on line parameters is also analysed. It is shown that the separation between the peaks of the allowed and forbidden components exhibits a clear dependence upon plasma electron density free of self-absorption influence. This allows the peak separation to be used as a good parameter for plasma diagnostics. From the simulation results, a simple fitting formula is applied that permits obtaining the electron number density plasma diagnostics in the range 5 × 1022–7 × 1023 m−3. At lower densities the fitting of simulated to experimental full profiles is a reliable method for N e determination.