Calculation of the vacuum-UV radiation gains in transitions of Ne-like argon in capillary discharges

A collisional — radiative kinetic model is proposed for calculation of the gain occurring in transitions of Ne-like argon ions in a capillary discharge plasma. New efficient laser transitions are predicted on the basis of the calculations. The calculated dependences of the gain on the electron temperature and density and on the capillary diameter are used to estimate the plasma parameters in capillary discharges from measurements of the spontaneous emission gain.