Non-Coherent Scattering--III: The Effect of Continuous Absorption on the Formation of Spectral Lines

Author:
  • DHD. G. Hummer
    D. G. Hummer
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Abstract
The formation of spectral lines by completely redistributed non-coherent scattering is systematically investigated for situations in which photo-ionization or extinction by dust grains occurs at the line frequencies. Particular attention is given to cases for which the source function associated with the continuous opacity differs from the Planck function at the local electron temperature. Very large effects are found to occur, even when the ratio of continuous opacity to line opacity is very small. Extensive numerical results are presented, and the relevant scaling laws and the generalized thermalization length are discussed.