Determination of the Gaussian and Lorentzian content of experimental line shapes

Abstract

The approximation of the Voigt line shape by the sum of a Gaussian and a Lorentzian of equal width is explored. The relative intensities of these two lines in the approximate function are related to the widths of the components of the Voigt function using nonlinear least-squares fitting. The useful range of the approximation includes lines sharper than Lorentzian and flatter at the top than Gaussian.