Atomic Data and Plasma Spectroscopy

The spectroscopy of plasmas is one of the principal methods by which astronomers interrogate distant objects. Many of these plasmas cannot be created in the lab, and as such must be studied using computational tools. This document sets forth a new, generic, methodology and computer program, the General Spectral Modeling (GSM) code for the study of such plasmas. GSM allows for diverse types of data to be joined into a common model that is not tied to a specific element, ionization stage, or set of conditions. GSM is then used to explore a number of conditions of interest in the X ray spectroscopy of helium-like ions in astrophysics, and develop diagnostics for the conditions of those plasmas by looking at ratios of key spectral features. It is also used to look at a higher density system more along the lines of what one might see in a laboratory plasma. This document also discusses how the data in these models were calculated from ab initio quantum mechanics, as well as attempts to advance the field of atomic data calculation through work with the R-Matrix II method. Advisors/Committee Members: Pradhan, Anil K.