Electrical conductivity and thermopower of metallic helium

Abstract

The pair effective interionic interaction, electrical resistance, and thermopower of liquid metallic helium have been calculated over wide temperature and density ranges using the perturbation theory for the potential of electron-ion interaction. For conduction electrons, the random-phase approximation has been used taking into account the exchange interaction and correlations in the local-field approximation. The nuclear subsystem has been described by the hard-sphere model. The sphere diameter is the only parameter of the theory. The diameter and the system density at which helium is transformed from the singly ionized to doubly ionized state have been estimated based on an analysis of the pair effective interaction between helium nuclei. The case of doubly ionized helium atoms has been considered. The numerical calculations have been performed taking into account the perturbation theory in terms up to the third order. In all cases, the role of the third-order correction is significant. In the case of metallic helium, the values of the electrical resistance and its temperature dependence are characteristic of divalent simple liquid metals, as well as the dependences of the thermopower on the density and temperature.