Stark Broadening of Spectral Lines in Plasmas

Abstract

Stark broadening of spectral lines remains an important tool for spectroscopic diagnostics of various types of laboratory and astrophysical plasmas. This is because laboratory and astrophysical plasmas contain various types of electric fields, such as the ion microfield, the electron microfield, fields of different kinds of electrostatic plasma turbulence, and laser/maser fields penetrating into plasmas. All these kinds of electric fields, differing by their statistical properties, strength, frequency, and possible polarization, cause a variety of types of Stark broadening of spectral lines in plasmas. Therefore, this research area is very important both fundamentally and practically, the latter being due to the numerous applications of plasmas. The practical applications range from the controlled thermonuclear fusion to plasma-based lasers and plasma sources of incoherent x-ray radiation as well as technological microwave discharges. Spectroscopic diagnostics based on Stark broadening are also indispensable tools for analyzing various astrophysical objects, such as solar plasmas (both for the quiet Sun and in solar flares), flare stars, white dwarfs, and so on. This book presents the latest research achievements in the area of Stark broadening of spectral lines in plasmas. It opens with three reviews describing the latest advances in analytical theory (with applications to various laboratory and astrophysical plasmas), in experimental studies of relativistic laser-plasma interactions, and in laboratory experiments facilitating the analysis of white dwarfs in astrophysics. These reviews are followed by seven original research papers devoted to a number of issues concerning Stark broadening of spectral lines in plasmas. They cover various experimental studies of laser-produced plasmas and theoretical studies presenting, in particular (but not exclusively), a new method for measuring ultra-strong magnetic fields, an improved method for measuring the electron density, as well as an advanced description of the radiative transfer.