Spectroscopic Method for Measuring Plasma Magnetic Fields Having Arbitrary Distributions of Direction and Amplitude

An approach for measurements of magnetic fields, based on the comparison of the magnetic-field-induced contributions to the line shapes of different fine-structure components of an atomic multiplet, is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. Contrary to the methods based on detecting an anisotropy in either the emitted radiation or in the dispersion properties of the medium, the present method is applicable when the field direction or amplitude vary significantly in the region viewed or during the time of observation. The technique can be used even when the line shapes are Stark or Doppler dominated. It has potential applications in laser-matter interactions, plasmas driven by high-current pulses, and astrophysics.