PROFILES OF TRANSITIONS IN AR-VIII

The gas-liner pinch has been developed into a well-diagnosed plasma de vice most suitable for line shape studies of multiply ionized atoms. O ne special feature is the dual gas inlet system, which allows one to s eed the final dense plasma column along its axis with test gas ions of interest at variable concentration. Temperatures and densities of ele ctrons, main and test gas ions are measured by collective Thomson scat tering employing a ruby laser. Reliable comparisons with theoretical l ine profiles are thus possible stimulating refined calculations. Furth ermore, macroscopic instabilities can be induced by high test gas conc entrations offering the possibility of line shape studies under such c onditions. In this report line shape measurements of two Ar VIII lines embedded in dense hydrogen plasmas are presented at stable plasma con ditions and compared with theoretical calculations. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.