Calculational study of Stark broadening of atomic spectral lines

Thesis/Dissertation · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:5330848

Marasinghe, P A.B.

Four methods for the calculation of the electron collisional (Stark) width of atomic spectral lines are evaluated. All methods provide estimates to the same order of magnitude, but no technique is best for all spectral lines. The success of a method depends on the nature and the extent of knowledge of properties of the excited state. Use of the appropriate method will allow the computation of a meaningful estimate of the Stark width of any spectral line of interest in an analytical plasma. The effect of inelastic collisions on the shape and width of atomic spectral lines produced in an inductively coupled argon plasma source is investigated. The inelastic collisions are assumed to arise from collisions impacts between the analyte atom and the argon atoms from the carrier gas and electrons from ionized argon. Spectral lines of calcium involving the energy levels 4s/sup 2/ /sup 1/S/sub 0/, 4s4p /sup 1/P/sub 1/, 3p/sup 6/4p /sup 2/P/sub 1/2.32 and 4s3d /sup 1/D/sub 2/ as the lower level of the spectral transition were studied, and the nonlocal thermodynamic nature of the ICP was incorporated into the calculation. The inelastic electron collision effects were significant for electron temperatures above 6000K for all the spectral lines. Inelastic atom collisions were important for spectra involving energy levels closer to the ionization limit, for an atom temperature of 6000K

• Research Organization: North Dakota State Univ., Fargo (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5330848
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640302* -- Atomic
Molecular & Chemical Physics-- Atomic & Molecular Properties & Theory
640304 -- Atomic
Molecular & Chemical Physics-- Collision Phenomena
74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
ATOMS
CALCULATION METHODS
COLLISIONS
ELECTRON TEMPERATURE
ENERGY LEVELS
EXCITED STATES
INELASTIC SCATTERING
LINE BROADENING
PLASMA
SCATTERING
STARK EFFECT
ULTRAHIGH TEMPERATURE