Line Shapes in a Magnetic Field: Trajectory Modifications I: Electrons

Abstract

In recent work, the effect of a magnetic field on the line shapes via the modification of electron perturber trajectories was considered. In the present paper we revisit this idea using a variation of the Collision-time Statistics method, in order to account for a l l relevant perturbers. We also obtain line profiles for the hydrogen L α line for conditions of astrophysical interest. Although the Collision-time statistics method works for both electrons and ions, we apply a simplification here that results in an excessive number of ions having to be simulated. As a result, the present, simplified version, is typically only appropriate for electrons.

Keywords

• stark broadening
• magnetic field
• spiralling trajectories
• collision-time statistics