Kinetic theory of spectral line broadening

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Abstract
Recent developments in the kinetic theory of time correlation functions are applied to the problem of describing spectral line broadening in a fluid. The width and shift operator of Fano's formulation for dipole radiation is expressed in terms of the solution to a few-body problem, involving the shielded interaction of a single perturber with the radiating atom. No approximations are required in this reformulation, and previous theories of neutral and Stark broadening are shown to result from systematic small-parameter expansions to low order. A plasma-parameter expansion is suggested for the Starkbroadening case under usual experimental conditions, resulting in complete shielding of the atomperturber interaction.