A wide variety of experiments on the Z-Beamlet laser involve the creation of laser produced plasmas. Having a direct measurement of the density and temperature of these plasma would an extremely useful tool, as understanding how these quantities evolve in space and time gives insight into the causes of changes in other physical processes, such as x-ray generation and opacity. We propose to investigate the possibility of diagnosing the density and temperature of laser-produced plasma using temporally and spatially resolved spectroscopic techniques that are similar to ones that have been successfully fielded on other systems. Various researchers have measured the density and temperature of laboratory plasmas by looking at the width and intensity ratio of various characteristic lines in gasses such as nitrogen and hydrogen, as well as in plasmas produced off of solid targets such as zinc. The plasma conditions produce two major measureable effects on the characteristic spectral lines of that plasma. The 1st is the Stark broadening of an individual line, which depends on the electron density of the plasma, with higher densities leading to broader lines. The second effect is a change in the ratio of various lines in the plasma corresponding to different ionization states.
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