Stark widths and shifts of neutral neon spectral lines.

Abstract

The neon spectrum is of considerable laser-physics interest, yet few measurements of its spectral line broadening and shift parameters have been performed. In this investigation the Stark widths and shifts of twenty Ne lines originating from several multiplets were measured as functions of electron density and temperature in the ranges (0.15--1.40)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{23}$ ${\mathrm{m}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}3}$ and (1--2.5)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{4}$ K, respectively. The light source was the plasma of an electromagnetically driven ``T tube'' operating in a mixture of neon and argon in the ratio 2:5 in order to avoid self-absorption. The electron density was measured by single-wavelength laser interferometry using the visible \ensuremath{\lambda}=632.8 nm transition of a He-Ne laser, and the electron temperature from the Boltzmann slope of several Ar spectral lines with estimated errors of \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}7% and \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}10%, respectively. The obtained measured Stark widths (w) and shifts (d) with estimated errors of \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}15% are compared with the existing experimental and theoretical data. All together, Stark widths and shifts data are used to demonstrate the nature of Stark broadening and shift dependence on the upper-level ionization potential of the corresponding line in a transition array.