Plasma Polarization Spectroscopy 2.Plasma Polarization Spectroscopy : History and Future Prospects

Abstract

An intuitive account is given of the polarized emission line of atoms and ions, both classically and quantum mechanically. Polarization is a result of the population imbalance among the magnetic sublevels, or of the alignment, in the upper level. The history of Plasma Polarization Spectroscopy (PPS) is reviewed. Various polarization phenomena are divided into three classes. For each of the classes, typical experiments undertaken so far are reviewed. The advantages, limitations, and challenges regarding PPS are discussed.