Radiation transport in a spherically symmetric hot plasma

An analytical solution is obtained for the problem of radiation transport in a spherically symmetric plasma. The ions are assumed to be in a complete steady state with constant ion density and electron temperature. The radiation density is assumed to be small so that the rate of the radiative processes in the plasma is small relative to that of the collisional processes, but not negligible. The effect of the plasma on the radiation density, as well as the influence of the radiation on the population probabilities, are properly accounted for. Under these conditions explicit expressions are given, valid to the first order in the plasma dimensions, for the radiation density and the population probability of the ionic states.