New Method for Obtaining Emission Coefficients from Emitted Spectral Intensities Part II—Asymmetrical Sources*

Abstract

The method given in Part I for obtaining emission coefficients from emitted spectral intensities is generalized here to include asymmetrical sources as well. In this method the emission coefficient is expanded in terms of a complete set of functions which are invariant in form to a rotation of axes and the integral equation relating the emission coefficient to the emitted spectral intensity is used to determine the unknown expansion coefficients. The method has been checked by means of a hypothetical example corresponding to a source whose emission coefficient is a displaced gaussian. This same hypothetical example is used to test the numerical method which was developed for summing the series representation for the emission coefficient in situations where the emitted spectral intensity is given in the form of experimental data. Finally the numerical method is used to obtain the spatial distribution of the emission coefficient corresponding to an atomic spectral line of argon emitted by a free-burning argon arc which is distorted by an external magnetic field.