53rd Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Plasma Physics
Volume 56, Number 16
Monday–Friday, November 14–18, 2011;
Salt Lake City, Utah
Session TI3: HEDP and Laboratory Astrophysics
9:30 AM–12:30 PM,
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Room: Ballroom AC
Chair: Carolyn Kuranz, University of Michigan
Abstract ID: BAPS.2011.DPP.TI3.3
Abstract: TI3.00003 : Shock Compression of Liquid Noble Gases to Multi-Mbar Pressures
10:30 AM–11:00 AM
Preview Abstract
Abstract
Author:
Seth Root
(Sandia National Laboratories)
The high pressure -- high temperature behavior of noble gases is
of considerable interest because of their use in z-pinch liners
for fusion studies and for understanding astrophysical and
planetary evolution. However, our understanding of the equation
of state (EOS) of the noble gases at extreme conditions is
limited. A prime example of this is the liquid xenon Hugoniot.
Previous EOS models rapidly diverged on the Hugoniot above 1
Mbar because of differences in the treatment of the electronic
contribution to the free energy. Similar divergences are observed
for krypton EOS. Combining shock compression experiments and
density functional theory (DFT) simulations, we can determine the
thermo-physical behavior of matter under
extreme conditions. The experimental and DFT results have been
instrumental to recent developments in planetary astrophysics and
inertial confinement fusion.
Shock compression experiments are performed using Sandia's
Z-Accelerator to
determine the Hugoniot of liquid xenon and krypton in the Mbar
regime. Under
strong pressure, krypton and xenon undergo an insulator to metal
transition.
In the metallic state, the shock front becomes reflective
allowing for a
direct measurement of the sample's shock velocity using laser
interferometry. The Hugoniot state is determined using a Monte Carlo
analysis method that accounts for systematic error in the
standards and for
correlations. DFT simulations at these extreme conditions show good
agreement with the experimental data -- demonstrating the
attention to
detail required for dealing with elements with relativistic core
states and
d-state electrons. The results from shock compression experiments
and DFT
simulations are presented for liquid xenon to 840 GPa and for
liquid krypton
to 800 GPa, decidedly increasing the range of known behavior of
both gases.
Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory
managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned
subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Company, for the U. S. Department
of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under
contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.
To cite this abstract, use the following reference: http://meetings.aps.org/link/BAPS.2011.DPP.TI3.3