Interferometric measurements of spectral line widths emitted by an inductively coupled plasma

Line widths of fifteen spectral lines of ten elements introduced into an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) have been measured with a Fabry-Pcrot interferometer. Instrumental broadening is estimated by measuring the line widths emitted by hollow-cathode lamps and assuming their actual profiles as purely Gaussian with Doppler widths at 400 K. For correction of the experimental widths of lines emitted by the ICP, actual profiles of the lines are assumed to be purely Gaussian as a first approximation. The calculated actual widths range from 0.0015 to 0.0051 nm. Values of the a-paramctcr of the Voigt profile are estimated by assuming the Doppler temperature of the plasma to be 5000 K. Most of the lines emitted by the ICP have a-values in a range between 0.2 and 0.7. The fact reported previously that ICP lines suffer from less collisional broadening than lines excited in flames is supported.