The spectra of helium-like ions in laser-produced plasmas

We calculate intensities of lines arising from the n = 2 and n = 3 levels of highly-charged, helium-like ions in very dense plasmas. We determine the importance of recombination and cascading, and of radiation trapping, on certain line-intensity ratios, and we illustrate the relevance of these calculations to laser-plasma diagnostics. Finally, we outline the pitfalls inherent, at very high densities, in some other techniques commonly used to interpret plasma spectra.