In this work, diagnoses of laser-induced plasmas were performed in several Laser Shock Processing (LSP) experiments using the Balmer Hα-line (656.27 nm) and several Mg II spectral lines. A Q-switched laser of Nd:YAG was focused on aluminum samples (Al2024-T351) in LSP experiments. Two methods were used to diagnose the plasma. The first method, which required two different experiments, was the standard for establishing the electronic temperature through the use of a Boltzmann Plot with spectral lines of Mg II and self-absorption correction. The Stark width of the Balmer Hα-line was used to determine the electron density in each of the cases studied. The second method had lower accuracy, but only required an experimental determination. Two parameters, the electronic temperature and the electron density, were obtained with the aid of the Hα-line in a single data acquisition process. The order of magnitude of the temperature obtained from this last method was sufficiently close to the value obtained by the standard method (within a factor lower than 2.0), which is considered to be important in order to allow for its possible use in industrial conditions.

Using Griem’s semi-empirical approach, we have calculated the Stark broadening parameters (line widths and shifts) of 35 UV–Blue spectral lines of neutral vanadium (V I). These lines have been detected in the Sun, the metal-poor star HD 84937, and Arcturus, among others. In addition, these parameters are also relevant in industrial and laboratory plasma. The matrix elements required were obtained using the relativistic Hartree–Fock (HFR) method implemented in Cowan’s code.

The presence of singly ionized thallium in the stellar atmosphere of the chemically peculiar star χ Lupi was reported by Leckrone et al. in 1999 by analysis of its stellar spectrum obtained with the Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph (GHRS) on board the Hubble Space Telescope. Atomic data about the spectral line of 1307.50 Å and about the hyperfine components of the spectral lines of 1321.71 Å and 1908.64 Å were taken from different sources and used to analyse the isotopic abundance of thallium II in the star χ Lupi. From their results the authors concluded that the photosphere of the star presents an anomalous isotopic composition of Tl II. A study of the atomic parameters of Tl II and of the broadening by the Stark effect of its spectral lines (and therefore of the possible overlaps of these lines) can help to clarify the conclusions about the spectral abundance of Tl II in different stars. In this paper we present calculated values of the atomic transition probabilities and Stark broadening parameters for 49 spectral lines of Tl II obtained by using the Cowan code including core polarization effects and the Griem semiempirical approach. Theoretical values of radiative lifetimes for 11 levels (eight with experimental values in the bibliography) are calculated and compared with the experimental values in order to test the quality of our results. Theoretical trends of the Stark width and shift parameters versus the temperature for spectral lines of astrophysical interest are displayed. Trends of our calculated Stark width for the isoelectronic sequence Tl II–Pb III–Bi IV are also displayed.

The presence of spectral lines of bismuth in stellar atmospheres has been reported in different stars. The anomalous values of the spectral intensities of Bi ii and Bi iii, compared to the theoretical Local Termodinamic Equilibrium (LTE) standards of Bi i/Bi ii/Bi iii, have been reported in the spectra obtained with the High Resolution Spectrograph of the Hubble/Goddard Space Telescope in the chemically peculiar stars HgMn stars χ Lupi and HR 7775. Spectral lines of 1436.8, 1902.3, 2630.9 and 2936.7 Å of Bi ii and 1423.4 Å of Bi iii were reported and their relative intensities were measured in these studies Litzén & Wahlgren 2002. These lines are overlapped with spectral lines of 1437.65, 2630.1 and 2937.1 Å of Bi iv. A study of the Stark broadening parameters of Bi iv spectral lines can help to study these overlaps. In this paper, using the Griem semi-empirical approach, we report calculated values of the Stark parameters for 64 spectral lines of Bi iv. The matrix elements used in these calculations have been determined from 17 configurations of Bi iv. They were calculated using the cowan code including core polarization effects. Data are displayed for an electron density of 10¹⁷ cm⁻³ and temperatures T = 10 000–160 000 K. Also calculated radiative lifetimes for 12 levels with experimental lifetime are presented, in order to test the goodness of our calculations. Theoretical trends of the Stark width and shift parameters versus the temperature for spectral lines of astrophysical interest are displayed.

A Q-switched Nd:YAG laser was focused on the Pb–Ti alloy samples in several laser-induced breakdown experiments in order to measure the Stark parameters of several spectral lines (58) of singly ionized titanium, including the 3504.89 Å and 3510.83 Å lines (where we achieved new experimental and theoretical values). The diagnostics of the laser-induced plasmas (electron density and electron temperature) were performed using Balmer’s H alpha line (6562.7 Å). The temperatures were obtained by the Boltzmann plot technique with spectral lines of Pb I (after correction for its evident self-absorption). Subsequently, the calculations by the Griem approach of the Stark broadening parameters for several spectral lines were performed using the Gaunt factors proposed by van Regemorter and those proposed by Douglas H. Sampson. In the latter case, the values obtained were very close to the experimental values. This enables us to assume that the calculations performed for the spectral lines of Ti II, without experimental information, are more accurate using the Gaunt factors proposed by Sampson.

Leckrone et al. reported the presence of double-ionized thallium (Tl iii) in the stellar atmosphere of the chemically peculiar star, χ Lupi, in 1999. Two spectral lines at 1332.3 and 1558.6 Å were detected in its stellar spectrum. Here, we claim that there are ions and lines that need further study to make possible the LTE abundance analysis once improved atomic data is available. In this sense, Tl iii is included in the ions list that requires improved atomic data. To contribute to the solution of this problem, an analysis of the atomic parameters of the double-ionized thallium is presented here. In this work, calculations of transition probabilities were made to obtain values of the theoretical radiative lifetimes and theoretical Stark parameters for widths and shifts of 22 spectral lines of Tl iii. Relativistic Hartree–Fock calculations using Cowan’s code allowed us to obtain the required transition probabilities. In our calculations, the core polarization effects were included. Later, the Griem semiempirical approach was used to obtain the Stark parameters. Our lifetimes values for 10 levels were compared with the experimental ones. In this paper, we discuss the behavior of the Stark parameters versus the temperature of three relevant spectral lines. Stark width values of the isoelectronic sequence Tl iii–Pb iv are also displayed.