We present results of intensity and line broadening investigations of spontaneous emission from atoms excited in a copper hollow‐cathode discharge. These measurements indicate a group of electrons exists in the discharge with a density of ≲1014e−/cm3and an effective electron temperature of 0.1 to 0.2 eV. The temperatures of atomic species present in the He‐Cu discharge have been measured. Finally, the Lorentz width of spontaneous emission from Cu II laser transitions is observed to be a large fraction of the Doppler width and is consistent with the observed homogeneouslike operation of the copper ion laser.