Stark Broadening of Hydrogenic Ion Lines in a Plasma

Abstract

The frequency distributions of the ionized helium lines at 4686 A and 3203 A broadened by the local fields of both ions and electrons in a plasma are calculated in the classical path approximation, which is shown to be always applicable. General formulas are developed for the Stark profiles of lines from multiply ionized hydrogenic systems, and the validity domains of the impact and quasi-static approximation for electron and ion broadening are delineated. The results are compared with the Holtsmark theory and an approximation for high series members.