Coupling and ionization effects on hydrogen spectral line shapes in dense plasmas

International audienceA study of hydrogen lines emitted in dense and low temperature plasmas is presented. Coupling and ionization effects in a transition from impact to quasi-static broadening for electrons are analyzed with the help of the Frequency Fluctuation Model (FFM). Electron broadening of Balmer series lines is studied for different densities and temperatures spanning a wide domain from impact to quasi-static limit. It is shown that electronic broadening makes a transition from impact to quasi-static limit depending on plasma conditions and principal quantum number. Even for the Balmer alpha line, at a density equals 10^18 cm^-3 and a temperature equals 1 eV, this transition occurs both in the wings and the core of the line