Broadening of the spectral lines of a buffer gas and target substance in laser ablation

The broadening of discrete spectral lines from the plasma produced in the laser ablation of metal targets in a broad pressure range (10² — 10⁷ Pa) of the ambient gas (Ar, He, H₂) was studied experimentally. The behaviour of spectral line broadening for the buffer gases was found to be significantly different from that for the atoms and ions of the target material. In comparison with target atoms, the atoms of buffer gases radiate from denser plasma layers, and their spectral line profiles are complex in shape.