Second Virial Coefficient of Low-density Lithium-7 (7Li) Gas in the Temperature Range 1 K40000 K and Beyond

Abstract

Abstract: The second virial coefficient B for low-dense 7Lithium (7Li) gas is calculated over a wide temperature range 1 K40000 K. In the ‘high’-T limit (600 K45000 K), the classical coefficient, Bcl, and the contribution of the first quantum-mechanical correction, Bqc, are computed from standard expressions, using a suitable binary potential. The classical coefficient, Bcl, together with the Boyle temperature, TB, are determined and their values are in good agreement with previous results. In addition, the interface between the classical and quantum regimes is systematically investigated. Furthermore, the calculation of the quantum-mechanical second virial coefficient, Bq, is evaluated using the Beth-Uhlenbeck formula in the temperature range 1 K500 K. A positive value of Bq indicates that the net interaction energy is repulsive, implying that the short-range repulsive forces dominate the long-range attractive forces. However, quite the opposite occurs for negative values of Bq, which are indicative of net attractive interaction. The general behavior of Bq is similar to the potential energy itself, such that the long-range attractive and the short-range repulsive potentials can be deduced from the measurements of Bq. Keywords: Second virial coefficient, Low-density Lithium-7 Gas, Short-range repulsive forces, Long-range attractive forces. PACS: 51.30.+i.