An adaptive line-by-line-statistical model for fast and accurate spectral simulations in low-pressure plasmas

An adaptive grid method is proposed for the simulation of low-pressure plasma radiation. The method relies on two complementary approaches which significantly reduce calculation times and the size of the obtained grids: Weak lines are calculated as a so-called “pseudo-continuum”, hence reducing the number of calculated lines, and a numerical algorithm has been developed for accurately calculating Voigt lineshapes using a minimum number of points. The method is fully user-parametric, allowing the choice of privileging calculation efficiency, or alternatively privileging the accuracy of the computed spectra. Sample radiative transfer calculations are presented, which show the efficiency of the method, also providing some guidelines on how to define lineshape calculation parameters, depending on the problem to be solved.