Stark effect modeling in the detailed opacity code SCO-RCG
Abstract: The broadening of lines by Stark effect is an important tool for inferring electron density and temperature in plasmas. Stark-effect calculations often rely on atomic data (transition rates, energy levels,...) not always exhaustive and/or valid for isolated atoms. We present a recent development in the detailed opacity code SCO-RCG for K-shell spectroscopy (hydrogen- and helium-like ions). This approach is adapted from the work of Gilles and Peyrusse. Neglecting non-diagonal terms in dipolar and collision operators, the line profile is expressed as a sum of Voigt functions associated to the Stark components. The formalism relies on the use of parabolic coordinates within SO(4) symmetry. The relativistic fine-structure of Lyman lines is included by diagonalizing the hamiltonian matrix associated to quantum states having the same principal quantum number $n$. The resulting code enables one to investigate plasma environment effects, the impact of the microfield distribution, the decoupling between electron and ion temperatures and the role of satellite lines (such as Li-like $1sn\ell n'\ell' - 1s2n\ell$, Be-like, etc.). Comparisons with simpler and widely-used semi-empirical models are presented.
Paper Prompts
Sign up for free to create and run prompts on this paper using GPT-5.
Top Community Prompts
Collections
Sign up for free to add this paper to one or more collections.