Abstract

The development of appropriate sources for the excitation of atomic spectra is an essential task in atomic spectroscopy. For a long time, classic sources such as electrode-less discharges, arcs, and sparks were used by spectroscopists in the study of the spectra of elements with low ionization degrees. This last source was also used in studies of intermediate and highly ionized atoms, and some examples can be found in the works reported by Sugar et al. [1], Kaufman et al. [2], Churilov et al. [3,4], and Ryabtsev et al. [5]. Such sources basically consist of two electrodes connected to a capacitor which is charged to a high voltage until electric breakdown take place. The differing degrees of ionization produced by this kind of source can be handled by varying the inductance in the circuit. In some cases, by placing an insulator between the electrodes, the spark will be able to slide along the surface of the insulator. This allows better or more controlled operation, but it does not unfortunately lead to higher stages of ionization [6].