Estublier, Denis L.2014-03-142014-03-141990-05-05etd-04182009-041444http://hdl.handle.net/10919/42161In this work, we describe all the possible radiative processes occurring in a low temperature hydrogen plasma. Some of the fundamental concepts involving ionized gases and collision phenomena are presented, and a rigorous approach is used to show that classical mechanics is quite appropriate to our study. As an application to a laser engine, we investigate the effects of the maximum temperature, the temperature gradient, the stretching of the plasma shape, the engine pressure, and the equivalent sphere radius, on the total emitted power, including absorbing mechanisms through the equation of radiative transfer. Graphs related to spectral radiative exitances are included, and a complete set of graphs of the total power, permitting interpolations with respect to the above relevant parameters, are also provided.xviii, 328 leavesBTDapplication/pdfenIn CopyrightLD5655.V855 1990.E879Lasers in aeronauticsOrbital transfer (Space flight) -- ResearchThesishttp://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-04182009-041444/