Electrical resistivity measurements of heavy ion beam generated high energy density aluminium

Abstract

The high intensity heavy ion beams provided by the accelerator facilities of the Gesellschaft fur Schwerionenforschung (GSI) Darmstadt are an excellent tool to produce large volumes of high energy density (HED) matter. Thermophysical and transport properties of HED matter states are of interest for fundamental as well as for applied research. In this paper we present the most recent results on electrical resistivity of HED matter obtained at the High Temperature Laboratory of the Plasma Physics Department of GSI. The targets under investigation consisted of 5 mm long and 0.25 mm diameter aluminium wires. Uranium beam pulses with durations of approximately 200 ns, intensities of about 2 × 109 ions/bunch and an initial ion energy of 350 A MeV have been used as a driver. An energy density deposition of about 1 kJ g−1 has been achieved by focussing the ion beam to less than 1 mm FWHM. Under these conditions, resistivities of up to 1.5 × 10−6 Ω m have been observed within 1 µs after irradiation.