Déplacements des raies d'émission de l'ion ArII dans un plasma dense
A spectroscopic study of the emission from an argon plasma produced by a small theta-pinch is described. The electron density in the plasma is very high and the temperature relatively cool. Values obtained for these quantities are [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. Wavelengths of many ArII lines have been measured between 2700 and 5000 Å. Many of these lines exhibit small shifts to the blue or to the red but others show large red shifts. Particularly significant are the multiplets 4p4P−4d4P, 4p4P−5s4P and 4p4S−4d4P where the measured shifts are about 6.0 ± 0.8 cm−1. These shifts have been interpreted as plasma polarization shifts. A plasma effect on the spin–orbit coupling in ArII has also been observed for the first time. A qualitative analysis of these phenomena is given.