Takashi Fujimoto - Böcker

This book focuses on the characteristics of optical radiation, or a spectrum, emitted by various plasmas. In plasma, the same atomic species can produce quite different spectra, or colours, depending on the nature of the plasma. This book gives a theoretical framework by which a particular spectrum can be interpreted correctly and coherently. The uniqueness of the book lies in its comprehensive treatment of the intensity distribution of spectral lines and the population density distribution among the atomic levels in plasmas. It is intended to provide beginners with a good perspective of the field, laying out the physics in an extremely clear manner and starting from an elementary level. A useful feature of the book is the asterisked sections and chapters which can be skipped by readers who only wish to gain a quick and basic introduction to plasma spectroscopy. It will also be useful to researchers working actively in the field, acting as a guide for carrying out experiments and interpreting experimental observations.

Plasma Polarization Spectroscopy (PPS) is now becoming a standard diagnostic technique for working with laboratory plasmas. This new area needs a comprehensive framework, both experimental and theoretical. This book reviews the historical development of PPS, develops a general theoretical formulation to deal with this phenomenon, along with an overview of relevant cross sections, and reports on laboratory experiments so far performed. It also includes various facets that are interesting from this standpoint, e.g. X-ray lasers and effects of microwave irradiation. It also offers a timely discussion of instrumentation that is quite important in a practical PPS experiment.