Virtual Laboratory Astrophysics: the STARK-B database for spectral line broadening by collisions with charged particles and its link to the European project VAMDC

Abstract

Atomic physics in plasmas has been an essential tool for many years. Accurate spectroscopic diagnostics and modeling require the knowledge of numerous collisional line profiles. "Stark broadening" theories and calculations have been extensively developed for about 50 years. Nowadays, the access to such data via an on line database becomes essential. The aim of STARK-B is to reply to this need. It is a collaborative project between the Astronomical Observatory of Belgrade (AOB) and the "Laboratoire d'Étude du Rayonnement et de la matière en Astrophysique" (LERMA) of the Paris Observatory and CNRS. It is a database of widths and shifts of isolated lines of atoms and ions due to electron and ion impacts that we have calculated and published in international refereed journals (more than 150 papers by Dimitrijević & Sahal-Bréchot, and colleagues). It is devoted to modeling and spectroscopic diagnostics of stellar atmospheres and envelopes, laboratory plasmas, magnetic fusion plasmas, laser equipments and technological plasmas. Hence, the domain of temperatures and densities covered by the tables is wide and depends on the ionization degree of the considered ion. The STARK-B database is in free access and is is a part of VAMDC: the Virtual Atomic and Molecular Data Centre is an European Union funded collaboration between groups involved in the generation and use of atomic and molecular data. VAMDC aims to build a secure, documented, flexible and interoperable e-science environment-based interface to existing atomic and molecular data. STARK-B and its VAMDC context are presented in this paper.