{
  "abstract": "Electron Stark broadening of the $4^2D$--$3^2P$ multiplet transition in a sodium plasma produced by laser resonance saturation has provided a means of undertaking the first spatial measurements of the free electron density across and along the plasma channel created in sodium vapor of density $10^{15}$--$5\\times10^{16}$~cm$^{-3}$. From these measurements and measurements of the neutral sodium density within a heat sandwich oven, we are able to deduce the corresponding electron temperature. These temperatures compare favourably with the electron temperature estimated from a Boltzmann analysis of line intensities and suggest that a highly ionized ($>$10\\%) plasma of electron temperature $<$6000K can be produced within 100~ns of laser excitation from a laser of modest irradiance ($10^6$--$10^7$~Wcm$^{-2}$). The experimental results are in reasonable agreement with a recently developed 3-dimensional model which predicts a decrease in the degree of ionization along the path of the laser beam as a result of significant depletion of laser energy. These experimental results demonstrate that this LIBORS code is capable of predicting the 3-dimensional nature of this new mode of laser ionization with reasonable accuracy, and may also explain the low electron temperatures and free electron densities observed by other research teams.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2609.36085",
  "author_total": 1,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Mark A. Cappelli"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/8x73bk3zmjc0w.bib",
  "cited_by": 1,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2609.36085",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "8x73bk3zmjc0w",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.36085",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "physics.plasm-ph"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "3106|Laser-Plasma Interactions and Diagnostics"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W1611962024",
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2609.36085",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-28",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/8x73bk3zmjc0w.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:25:31Z",
      "native_id": "2609.36085",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.36085"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:physics.plasm-ph",
      "subfield": "plasma"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Electron Density Measurements from Stark Broadened Emission in a Sodium Plasma Produced by Laser Resonance Saturation",
  "title_text": "Electron Density Measurements from Stark Broadened Emission in a Sodium Plasma Produced by Laser Resonance Saturation",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:25:31Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/8x73bk3zmjc0w",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": []
}