  Luminescence as a mechanism for terahertz emission from femtosecond
laser-induced plasmas is studied. By using a fully microscopic theory, Coulomb
scattering between electrons and ions is shown to lead to luminescence even for
a spatially homogeneous plasma. The spectral features introduced by the rod
geometry of laser-induced plasma channels in air are discussed on the basis of
a generalized mode-function analysis.
