Molecular dynamics simulations of microscopic structure of ultra strong shock waves in dense helium

Abstract

Hydrodynamic properties and structure of strong shock waves in classical dense helium are simulated using non-equilibrium molecular dynamics methods. The shock speed in the simulation reaches 100 km/s and the Mach number is over 250, which are close to the parameters of shock waves in the implosion process of inertial confinement fusion. The simulations show that the high-Mach-number shock waves in dense media have notable differences from weak shock waves or those in dilute gases. These results will provide useful information on the implosion process, especially the structure of strong shock wave front, which remains an open question in hydrodynamic simulations.