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In local thermodynamic equilibrium, the ratio of two internal-level populations includes their energy-level degeneracies $g_i,g_j$ and their excitation-energy difference. Temperature-sensitive spectral line ratios can constrain the excitation temperature when line formation and radiative transfer are modelled consistently. Ionization fractions additionally require the Saha equation.

At $7000\mathrm{K}$, $k_{B}T=0.603\mathrm{eV}$ andThe $2p$ ground term has fine-structure levels $J=1/2$ and $J=3/2$, with energy-level degeneracy $g_1=2$ and $g_2=4$. Detailed balance gives $C_{21}=C_{12}(g_1/g_2)e^{\Delta E/(k_{B}T)}=7.17\times 10^{-14}{\mathrm{m}}^3{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}$. The critical density is thereforeWith collisions and spontaneous decay both retained, $N_2/N_1=n_e{C}_{12}/(A_{21}+n_e{C}_{21})$. A Boltzmann distribution, $N_2/N_1\to 2e^{-\Delta E/(k_{B}T)}\simeq 1.97$, requires $n_e\gg n_{\mathrm{crit}}$, not merely equality. For example $n_e\gtrsim 3\times 10^8{\mathrm{m}}^{-3}$ brings the ratio within about ten per cent of that limit.