An isolated line-shape model to go beyond the Voigt profile in spectroscopic databases and radiative transfer codes

•An isolated spectral profile model for non-Voigt effects is presented.•The model takes both velocity changes and the speed dependences effects into account.•It leads to accurate descriptions of the line shapes of very different molecular systems.•It can be calculated with reasonable computer costs.•It can be extended in order to take line-mixing effects into account.

We demonstrate that a previously proposed model opens the route for the inclusion of refined non-Voigt profiles in spectroscopic databases and atmospheric radiative transfer codes. Indeed, this model fulfills many essential requirements: (i) it takes both velocity changes and the speed dependences of the pressure-broadening and -shifting coefficients into account. (ii) It leads to accurate descriptions of the line shapes of very different molecular systems. Tests made for pure H2, CO2 and O2 and for H2O diluted in N2 show that residuals are down to ≃0.2% of the peak absorption, (except for the untypical system of H2 where a maximum residual of ±3% is reached), thus fulfilling the precision requirements of the most demanding remote sensing experiments. (iii) It is based on a limited set of parameters for each absorption line that have known dependences on pressure and can thus be stored in databases. (iv) Its calculation requires very reasonable computer costs, only a few times higher than that of a usual Voigt profile. Its inclusion in radiative transfer codes will thus induce bearable CPU time increases. (v) It can be extended in order to take line-mixing effects into account, at least within the so-called first-order approximation.