Absolute Equation-of-State Measurement for Polystyrene from 25 to 60 Mbar Using a Spherically Converging Shock Wave

• Published in: Physical review letters Vol. 121; no. 2; p. 025001
• Main Authors: Döppner, T, Swift, D C, Kritcher, A L, Bachmann, B, Collins, G W, Chapman, D A, Hawreliak, J, Kraus, D, Nilsen, J, Rothman, S, Benedict, L X, Dewald, E, Fratanduono, D E, Gaffney, J A, Glenzer, S H, Hamel, S, Landen, O L, Lee, H J, LePape, S, Ma, T, MacDonald, M J, MacPhee, A G, Milathianaki, D, Millot, M, Neumayer, P, Sterne, P A, Tommasini, R, Falcone, R W
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Physical Society 13-07-2018; American Physical Society (APS)
• Subjects: 70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY; Computer simulation; Convergence; first-principles calculations in plasma physics; high-energy-density plasmas; hot dense plasma; indirect drive; inertial confinement fusion; laser inertial confinement; Lasers; Molecular dynamics; plasma ionization; Polystyrene resins; Rangefinding; Shock waves; warm-dense matter; X-ray imaging
• ISSN: 0031-9007; 1079-7114
• DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.121.025001

We have developed an experimental platform for the National Ignition Facility that uses spherically converging shock waves for absolute equation-of-state (EOS) measurements along the principal Hugoniot. In this Letter, we present one indirect-drive implosion experiment with a polystyrene sample that employs radiographic compression measurements over a range of shock pressures reaching up to 60 Mbar (6 TPa). This significantly exceeds previously published results obtained on the Nova laser [R. Cauble et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 80, 1248 (1998)PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.80.1248] at a strongly improved precision, allowing us to discriminate between different EOS models. We find excellent agreement with Kohn-Sham density-functional-theory-based molecular dynamics simulations.