Analysis of Experimental Ni I and Ni II Spectra with Comparisons to Theoretical Collisional Radiative Calculations

Laboratory measurement of atomic spectra is necessary for benchmarking theoretical calculations, yet there are many elements for which the experimental data is incomplete. To this end, we studied the spectra of Ni I and II using the Compact Toroidal Hybrid experiment at Auburn University. This experiment allows us to observe emission lines under conditions which are appropriate for comparisons to collisional radiative calculations. We report here an analysis of the experimental spectra as well as comparisons to theoretical collisional radiative calculations, with a focus on the line intensity dependence upon electron temperature and density within the plasma.