Hydrogen Stark Broadening by Ion Impacts on Moving Emitters

Abstract

Abstract The “classical path theory” for the plasma broadening of hydrogen lines calls for a closer examination of the influence of radiator motion on Stark profiles. For a radiator with constant velocity Stark broadening is effected by an anisotropic plasma, and in a frame of reference moving with the emitter the line shape depends not only on the radiator speed but on the direction of emission as well. From this, a somewhat intricate correlation of Stark and Doppler broadening arises which has to be taken into account in the calculation of the full line profile. As an example, broadening by plasma ions is investigated in the impact limit where a distinct dependence of Stark broadening on the emitter velocity is found especially for very heavy, immovable ions.