Strongly coupled plasma physics and high energy-density matter

Abstract

High energy–density matter—matter with pressures in excess of a megabar—covers a wide range of parameter space. Many laboratory experiments span a large portion of this parameter space as they evolve from a liquid or solid phase through the strongly coupled plasma phase to a hot plasma phase. This tutorial will introduce the basic physics of the intermediate, strongly coupled plasma phase from a very general point of view, including a discussion of experiments, such as laser-cooled ions, dusty plasmas, and white dwarfs. Basic definitions and results will be given for simple strongly coupled plasmas in the context of concepts familiar from weakly coupled plasma physics, to the extent possible. Definitions relevant to high energy–density physics are then introduced before focusing on dense plasmas, which form the overlap between the strongly coupled and high energy–density regions.