Ultrafast laser produced zinc plasma: Stark broadening of emission lines in nitrogen ambient

Abstract

The effect of ambient pressure on Stark broadening of emission lines from neutrals and ions in an ultrafast laser (100 fs, 800 nm) produced zinc plasma is investigated. Measured spectra reveal that the full width at half maximum (δλ) of neutral lines remains unchanged in the pressure range of 10−6 to 10−1 Torr, shows an even fluctuation in the pressure range of 0.1 to 100 Torr, and then increases with pressure. On the other hand, δλ of ion lines is nearly a constant from 10−6 to 10−3 Torr, and then increases consistently with ambient pressure. A line narrowing of neutral emissions observed in the region of 1 to 100 Torr can be attributed to larger plasma temperatures, whereas the consistent increase in δλ with pressure seen for ion emission results from the prevalence of additional broadening mechanisms related to Coulomb interactions, ion-ion interaction, and Debye shielding. An accurate knowledge of emission line width is crucial for unambiguously calculating number density values for any given ambient pressure. Moreover, it can be relevant for the design of narrow line width, bright plasma sources for various applications.