Optical diagnostics of a dense plasma including particle interaction effects

A model theory is proposed to explain the observed discrepancies in the plasma temperatures measured based on the spectrum line intensities and on the continuous photoionization spectrum. Excited level populations are determined by the plasma temperature. The statistical weights of the bound electron states depend not only on the atom structure but on the plasma state and composition. The effective level population model takes into consideration this effect, corrects the temperature measurement based on spectral line intensities, and eliminates the discrepancy mentioned above. (D.Gy.)