Special Issue on Spectral Line Shapes in Plasmas

Abstract

Line-shape analysis is one of the most important tools for diagnostics of both laboratory and space plasmas. Its reliable implementation requires sufficiently accurate calculations, which imply the use of analytic methods and computer codes of varying complexity, and, necessarily, varying limits of applicability and accuracy. However, studies comparing different computational and analytic methods are almost non-existent. The Spectral Line Shapes in Plasma (SLSP) code comparison workshop series [1] was established to fill this gap.Numerous computational cases considered in the two workshops organized to date (in April 2012 and August 2013 in Vienna, Austria) not only serve the purpose of code comparison, but also have applications in research of magnetic fusion, astrophysical, laser-produced plasmas, and so on. Therefore, although the first workshop was briefly reviewed elsewhere [2], and will likely be followed by a review of the second one, it was unanimously decided by the participants that a volume devoted to results of the workshops was desired. It is the main purpose of this special issue. Hydrogen-Like TransitionsMany calculation cases suggested for the first two SLSP workshops are for simple atomic systems: the hydrogen atom or hydrogen-like one-electron ions. Of these, the Ly-α transition is truly the

The Third and Fourth Workshops on Spectral Line Shapes in Plasma Code Comparison: Isolated Lines

“…They not only serve the purpose of code comparison, but also have applications in research of magnetic fusion, astrophysical, laser-produced plasmas, and so on. The workshop series was initiated in 2012 (SLSP1) [2], the second one (SLSP2) was held in 2013 [3] and since then the workshops are being held biannually (SLSP3 in 2015, and SLSP4 in 2017). The content of the workshop is prepared one year in advance by the participants through an on-line forum.…”

Hydrogen Line Shapes in Plasmas with Large Magnetic Fields

“…The standard model provides a good estimate of the line broadening but it can be inaccurate in regimes such that the ions move significantly during the characteristic decorrelation time for the dipole (usually referred to as the "time-of-interest"; it is of the order of the inverse line width). More elaborate techniques using dedicated models and codes can be used (e.g., see reports of previous SLSP workshops [8,9]). In the following, we report on computer simulations performed using a code developed previously for tokamak plasma spectroscopy applications [10,11].…”

Spectral Line Shapes in Plasmas II

“…The first Special Issue of Atoms under this title was published in 2014 [2,3], covering selected topics from the first two workshops. With the hope of establishing tradition, we decided to arrange for the present Special Issue as a place for disseminating new results obtained in the course of the 3rd and 4th SLSP workshops.…”