Approximations for Collisional and Radiative Transition Rates in Atomic Hydrogen

Abstract

A simple, accurate, and complete set of approximate formulae is presented for evaluating collisional and radiative transition rates for bound-bound and bound-free transitions in atomic hydrogen. The approximations are chosen in a form which facilitates computer programming and solution of nonequilibrium excitation problems of interest in plasma physics and astrophysics. Detailed comparisons are made with experimental, theoretical, and other semiempirical results.