Spectroscopic diagnostics of laser-induced plasmas

An overview of spectroscopic diagnostics techniques for low temperature plasmas is presented with an emphasis to electron number density - Ne measurement. Stark broadening of non-hydrogenic atom and positive ion spectral lines is given. The attention is drawn to experimental techniques used for line intensity and line profile measurement. Self-absorption test, importance of Abel inversion, deconvolution of experimental line profiles and measurement of line asymmetry are treated in some detail in order to improve Ne measurements. Finally the sources of theoretical and experimental Stark broadening data are reviewed and some details discussed.