Continuous radiation from a dense,weakly non-ideal,argon plasma

Continuum radiation from the argon plasma generated by a cascade arc has been investigated over the pressure range 1–10 atm and the temperature range 12?16×10³⁰K in the visible, near i.r. and u.v. spectral regions. Plasma temperatures were found from absolute intensities of the argon atom and ion lines; the concentrations of charged particles were determined from the ion-line half-widths.The results obtained on the continuum radiation intensity are compared with theoretical and experimental data obtained by other authors. At elevated pressures, the experimental data have been found to exceed theoretical values in the spectral region under investigation. The dependence of the recombination-threshold-shift in the plasma on azimuthal quantum number appears to be worthy of special attention. Possible reasons for excess radiation are discussed.