Spectroscopic study of a laser-produced lead plasma: experimental atomic transition probabilities for Pb III lines

The optical emission from a laser produced plasma (LPP) generated by a 10 640 Å laser irradiation, with a flux of 2×10¹°W cm-², on Pb targets was recorded and analysed between 2000 and 7000 Å; spectral lines emitted by the first two ionization species of Pb were studied in a wide range of plasma parameters. First experimental values of the atomic transition probabilities for ten spectral lines of Pb III have been determined by measurement of emission line intensities from an optically thin LPP of Pb in an atmosphere of Ar. The studied plasma has a temperature of about 25 300 K and an electron density of 10¹⁷cm-³. Local thermodynamic equilibrium conditions and plasma homogeneity has been checked