Stark-Broadening of Ar I Lines

The half-width and shift of some Stark-broadened Ar I lines are measured using a highly-stabilized argon arc at different electron densities. The relation of the ratio of the half-width over the plasma electron density as a function of the electron density itself, for the isolated argon line, 4300 Å, shows an excellent agreement with the theory. This argon line may therefore be used for the accurate determination of the electron density in argon plasma sources. The line profile is analysed and discussed.