Universal two-dimensional kinetics of the populations of Rydberg atoms in plasmas

Abstract

Universal kinetics has been developed for calculating the two-dimensional populations (in the space of principal n and orbital l quantum numbers) of Rydberg atomic states in plasmas. It has been shown that the direct population of the atomic states by three-body and radiative recombination sources should be taken into account, because the radiative cascade is of quantum character. The subsequent two-dimensional radiation-collision cascade is constructed in the framework of the classical approach. The developed model makes it possible to obtain the populations in the form of universal functions of temperature and density. The numerical calculations of the populations of highly excited hydrogen states (n ∝ 100) in low-density plasmas (10³–10¹³ cm⁻³) at moderate temperatures (1 eV) indicate a significantly nonequilibrium population both in n and in l, which is important for the diagnostics of astrophysical and laboratory plasmas.