Ionization potential depression and optical spectra in a Debye plasma model

TL;DR

This paper models how dense plasmas affect optical spectra through energy level shifts and broadening, using the Debye plasma model with RPA dielectric function, highlighting ionization potential depression and the Inglis-Teller effect.

Contribution

It introduces a model for optical spectra in dense plasmas incorporating Debye shifts and broadening, with analysis of ionization potential depression and the Inglis-Teller effect.

Findings

Debye shift affects the continuum edge in dense plasmas.

Bound states are nearly unshifted but broadened in the model.

Ionization potential depression and Inglis-Teller effect are demonstrated.

Abstract

We show how optical spectra in dense plasmas are determined by the shift of energy levels as well as the broadening owing to collisions with the plasma particles. In lowest approximation, the interaction with the plasma particles is described by the RPA dielectric function, leading to the Debye shift of the continuum edge. The bound states remain nearly un-shifted, their broadening is calculated in Born approximation. The role of ionization potential depression as well as the Inglis-Teller effect are shown. The model calculations have to be improved going beyond the lowest (RPA) approximation when applying to WDM spectra.