Precision Measurements of the Equation of State (EOS) of GDP Ablator Materials at $\sim $1 to 10 Mbar Using Laser-Driven Shock Waves

The behavior of polymer materials at high-pressure ($>$1 Mbar) is essential for understanding ignition target ablators. We report on EOS measurements on glow-discharge-polymer (GDP) (C$_{43}$H$_{56}$O) and germanium-doped GDP at shock pressures of $\sim $1 to 10 Mbar. This represents the only available high-pressure EOS measurements on these materials to date. These experiments use laser-driven shocks to drive impedance-match measurements using alpha quartz as a standard material. Shock velocities in these transparent samples \textit{and} the standard can be measured to $\sim $1{\%} precision. This allows the impedance-match technique for laser-driven shock experiments to produce precise data at extreme pressures. This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Inertial Confinement Fusion under Cooperative Agreement No. DE-FC52-08NA28302.