Spectral line shapes from highly ionized sodium plasmas

Line widths have been measured on spectra from implosions with the Gamble II generator. The K-shell transitions from sodium ions were observed with a curved crystal x-ray spectrograph and imaged with a pinhole camera. The various contributions to spectral line broadening were analyzed. The conclusion is that the line widths were comprised essentially of a source broadening due to the finite plasma size and a plasma broadening due to the ion motion during the implosion final stage. Despite the comparable contribution from both effects, under our conditions of observation, it is possible to derive an upper limit for the ion velocity to account for the large line widths observed.