Spectroscopic Studies of DB White Dwarfs: Improved Stark Profiles for Optical Transitions of Neutral Helium

Abstract

New Stark profiles for 21 He I lines and their forbidden components have been calculated for electron densities ranging from 1014 to 6 × 1017 cm-3, and for temperatures ranging from 10,000 K to 40,000 K. The profiles include quasi-static broadening by ions as well as electron broadening—the latter treated within the impact approximation near the core, and within the one-perturber approximation in the far wings. The calculated profiles also allow for line dissolution. These new profiles are the cornerstone of a recent reanalysis of the optical spectrum of a large sample of DB white dwarfs. Our calculations provide a very good match to the observed profiles of all the lines, provided that Stark broadening dominates other broadening mechanisms.