Review of the advanced generalized theory for Stark broadening of hydrogen lines in plasmas with tables

The Generalized Theory (GT) of Stark broadening of Stark broadening of hydrogen lines in plasmas, published by Ispolatov and Oks (JQSRT 1994; 51:19-9-38) is based on nonperturbative treatment of one component of the electron field. Therefore the GT is intrinsically more accurate than the fully-perturbative, Standard Theories (ST), such as the theory by Kepple-Griem (Phys Rev 1968; 173:317-25) (KG) and the theory by Sholin-Demura-Lisitsa (Sov Phys JETP 1973; 37:1057-65) (SDL). The present paper introduces an Advanced Generalized Theory (AGT), that yields closed-form expressions for the width, shift and coupling of Stark states. We also present tables of the AGT Stark widths of Lyman and Balmer lines for transitions with upper levels having principal quantum numbers n [less-than or equal to] 16 and for electron densities from Ne=1013 cm-3 to Ne=1020 cm-3. The mathematical simplicity of the AGT results make it possible to gain physical insight into the important features of the generalized theories that distinguish the AGT/GT from its predecessors. Empirical choices of important characteristic impact parameters made previously, are shown, using the insights possible with the AGT, to be inaccurate: (A) In the AGT, the effective Weisskopf radius ρW is proportional to n2, while SDL had empirically chosen ρW proportional to n; (B) in the AGT, the effective Weisskopf radius ρW is defined for each Stark component (i.e., dependent on the electric quantum number q), while KG had empirically chosen a component-independent ρW; (C) in the AGT the ion-field-dependent upper cutoff ρF is proportional to 1/n while KG had empirically chosen an expression for ρF proportional to 1/n2. The AGT shows that in high fields or high density range, the coupling between the ion and electron broadenings is significantly stronger than proposed by both the KG and SDL theories. Even in the low field or low density range, where the coupling between the ions and electrons broadening is negligible, the results of the AGT are more accurate than the results of the Standard Theories. In addition to yielding the effective Weisskopf radius (as noted above), the AGT can evaluate the strong collision constant - in distinction to both the KG and SDL theories, where the choice of this constant is empirical. The comparison of the tabulated Stark widths with the KG Stark widths indicates that the inaccuracy of the KG width is significantly increased with the increasing electron density Ne and upper principal quantum number n. However, even for the Lα line at, e.g., densities 1017 cm-3 - where the experimental width is a factor of two greater than the calculated KG width and the entire difference between the two widths was usually attributed to the ion dynamics - it turns out that the AGT eliminates about one half of this discrepancy indicating that the ion-dynamical contribution is in reality about a factor of two smaller than it was previously assumed. © 2000 Elsevier Science B.V.