One-component Plasma Research Articles

Integral equation theory based dielectric scheme for strongly coupled electron liquids.

In a recent paper, Lucco Castello et al. (arXiv:2107.03537) provided an accurate parameterization of classical one-component plasma bridge functions that was embedded in a novel dielectric scheme for strongly coupled electron liquids. Here, this approach is rigorously formulated, its set of equations is formally derived, and its numerical algorithm is scrutinized. A systematic comparison with available and new path integral Monte Carlo simulations reveals a rather unprecedented agreement especially in terms of the interaction energy and the long wavelength limit of the static local field correction.

Truncated linear statistics in the one dimensional one-component plasma

In this paper, we study the probability distribution of the observable , with 1 ⩽ N′ ⩽ N and x 1 < x 2 <⋯< x N representing the ordered positions of N particles in a 1D one-component plasma, i.e. N harmonically confined charges on a line, with pairwise repulsive 1D Coulomb interaction |x i − x j |. This observable represents an example of a truncated linear statistics—here proportional to the center of mass of the N′ = κN (with 0 < κ ⩽ 1), rightmost particles. It interpolates between the position of the rightmost particle (in the limit κ → 0) and the full center of mass (in the limit κ → 1). We show that, for large N, s fluctuates around its mean ⟨s⟩ and the typical fluctuations are Gaussian, of width O(N −3/2). The atypical large fluctuations of s, for fixed κ, are instead described by a large deviation form , where the rate function ϕ κ (s) is computed analytically. We show that ϕ κ (s) takes different functional forms in five distinct regions in the (κ, s) plane separated by phase boundaries, thus leading to a rich phase diagram in the (κ, s) plane. Across all the phase boundaries the rate function ϕ κ (s) undergoes a third-order phase transition. This rate function is also evaluated numerically using a sophisticated importance sampling method, and we find a perfect agreement with our analytical predictions.

Plasma screening of nuclear fusion reactions in liquid layers of compact degenerate stars: a first-principle study

ABSTRACT A reliable description of nuclear fusion reactions in inner layers of white dwarfs and envelopes of neutron stars is important for realistic modelling of a wide range of observable astrophysical phenomena from accreting neutron stars to Type Ia supernovae. We study the problem of screening of the Coulomb barrier impeding the reactions by a plasma surrounding the fusing nuclei. Numerical calculations of the screening factor are performed from the first principles with the aid of quantum-mechanical path integrals in the model of a one-component plasma of atomic nuclei for temperatures and densities typical for dense liquid layers of compact degenerate stars. We do not rely on various quasi-classic approximations widely used in the literature, such as factoring out the tunnelling process, tunnelling in an average spherically symmetric mean-force potential, usage of classic free energies and pair correlation functions, linear mixing rule, and so on. In general, a good agreement with earlier results from the thermonuclear limit to Γ ∼ 100 is found. For a very strongly coupled liquid 100 ≲ Γ ≤ 175, a deviation from currently used parametrizations of the reaction rates is discovered and approximated by a simple analytic expression. The developed method of nuclear reaction rate calculations with account of plasma screening can be extended to ion mixtures and crystallized phases of stellar matter.

THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES OF DENSE HYDROGEN PLASMAS WITH PARTIALLY DEGENERATE SEMICLASSICAL IONS

In this article, we investigated the thermodynamic properties of a one-component dense non-ideal hydrogen plasma with semiclassical non-ideal ions against the background of degenerate quantum electrons. The effective potential of the ion-ion interaction that takes into account the quantum mechanical effects of diffraction was used as a model for the interaction. Ion-ion radial distribution functions were calculated based on the solution of the Ornstein-Zernike integral equation in the hypernetted-chain (HNC) approximation. In the calculations, the effective interaction potential was used as a micropotential since only the screening due to the uniform background (i.e., electrons) was taken into account, but not the screening due to the interaction between the ions themselves. In addition, the effective potential takes into account only the quantum effect of ion diffraction. Thermodynamic properties, such as the correlation energy and the non-ideal component of the equation of state, were calculated based on the obtained radial distribution functions and the interparticle interaction potential. Thermodynamic properties were presented as a percentage between the results based on the effective potential and the Yukawa potential depending on the density and coupling parameter values. The difference between the results is greater in denser plasma and at higher values of the coupling parameters.

Anomalous behavior of plasma response functions at strong coupling.

Using data from equilibrium molecular dynamics computer simulations we have built up a catalog of response functions for the Coulomb one-component plasma over a wide range of Γ coupling values, including the strongly coupled Γ>1 liquid regime. We focus on the domain of negative compressibility (Γ>3), where the proper response displays an acausal behavior, implying a modification of the relation between its real and imaginary parts in the Kramers-Kronig relations. We give a description of the details of this acausal feature, in both the frequency and time domains. We show that the viscoelastic pole of the density response function morphs into an imaginary pole in the upper ω half-plane that is responsible for the anomalous behavior of the response in this coupling range. By examining the plasmon dispersion relation through the dielectric response function, rather than via the peaks of the dynamical structure function, we obtain a more reliable representation for the dispersion. We demonstrate that there is an intimate link between the formation of the roton minimum in the dispersion and the negative compressibility of the system. The feasibility of the extension of our analysis to systems with a short-range interaction is explored.

Squeezed state of an electron cloud as a “quasi-neutral” one-component plasma

We present a one-dimensional model, which gives a novel physical interpretation to the specific state of an ensemble of electrons continuously injected into an electrostatic potential well immersed in a strong applied magnetic field preventing radial expansion. When the space-charge field of the electrons accumulated in the potential well compensates the external electrostatic field, a force-free steady-state of the electron cloud forms. This state of equilibrium is known in another context as a squeezed state of an electron beam. It is shown that the spatial distribution of the electron number density in this steady-state correlates with the shape of the potential well. Perturbations of the steady-state propagate along the electron cloud in the form of Trivelpiece–Gould modes.

A kinetic model of friction in strongly coupled strongly magnetized plasmas

Plasmas that are strongly magnetized in the sense that the gyrofrequency exceeds the plasma frequency exhibit novel transport properties that are not well understood. As a representative example, we compute the friction force acting on a massive test charge moving through a strongly coupled and strongly magnetized one-component plasma using a generalized Boltzmann kinetic theory. Recent works studying the weakly coupled regime have shown that strong magnetization leads to a transverse component of the friction force that is perpendicular to both the Lorentz force and velocity of the test charge, in addition to the stopping power component aligned antiparallel to the velocity. Recent molecular dynamics simulations have also shown that strong Coulomb coupling in addition to strong magnetization gives rise to a third component of the friction force in the direction of the Lorentz force. Here, we show that the generalized Boltzmann kinetic theory captures these effects and generally agrees well with the molecular dynamics simulations over a broad range of Coulomb coupling and magnetization strength regimes. The theory is also used to show that the “gyro” component of the friction in the direction of the Lorentz force arises due to asymmetries associated with gyromotion during short-range collisions. Computing the average motion of the test charge through the background plasma, the transverse force is found to strongly influence the trajectory by changing the gyroradius and the gyrofriction force is found to slightly change the gyrofrequency of the test charge resulting in a phase shift.

Equation of state modeling with pseudoatom molecular dynamics.

Using a modified version of the pseudoatom molecular-dynamics approach, the silicon and oxygen equations of state were generated and then employed to construct the equation of state of silicon dioxide. The results are supported by the close agreement with ab initio simulations of the silicon pressure and experimental shock Hugoniot of silicon dioxide. Ion thermal contributions to thermodynamic functions provided by the PAMD simulations are compared to their counterparts obtained with the one-component plasma and charged-hard-sphere approximations.

Extended space and time correlations in strongly magnetized plasmas

Molecular dynamics simulations are used to show that strong magnetization significantly increases the space and time scales associated with interparticle correlations. The physical mechanism responsible is a channeling effect whereby particles are confined to move along narrow cylinders with a width characterized by the gyroradius and a length characterized by the collision mean free path. The predominant interactions are the 180° collisions at the ends of the collision cylinders, resulting in a long-range correlation parallel to the magnetic field. Its influence is demonstrated via the dependence of the velocity autocorrelation functions and self-diffusion coefficients on the domain size and run time in simulations of the one-component plasma. A very large number of particles, and therefore domain size, must be used to resolve the long-range correlations, suggesting that the number of charged particles in the collection must increase in order to constitute a plasma. Correspondingly, this effect significantly delays the time it takes to reach a diffusive regime, in which the mean square displacement of particles increases linearly in time. This result presents challenges for connecting measurements in non-neutral and ultracold neutral plasma experiments, as well as molecular dynamics simulations, with fluid transport properties due to their finite size.

Prandtl Number in Classical Hard-Sphere and One-Component Plasma Fluids.

The Prandtl number is evaluated for the three-dimensional hard-sphere and one-component plasma fluids, from the dilute weakly coupled regime up to a dense strongly coupled regime near the fluid-solid phase transition. In both cases, numerical values of order unity are obtained. The Prandtl number increases on approaching the freezing point, where it reaches a quasi-universal value for simple dielectric fluids of about ≃1.7. Relations to two-dimensional fluids are briefly discussed.

Theoretical Estimate of the Glass Transition Line of Yukawa One-Component Plasmas.

The mode coupling theory of supercooled liquids is combined with advanced closures to the integral equation theory of liquids in order to estimate the glass transition line of Yukawa one-component plasmas from the unscreened Coulomb limit up to the strong screening regime. The present predictions constitute a major improvement over the current literature predictions. The calculations confirm the validity of an existing analytical parameterization of the glass transition line. It is verified that the glass transition line is an approximate isomorphic curve and the value of the corresponding reduced excess entropy is estimated. Capitalizing on the isomorphic nature of the glass transition line, two structural vitrification indicators are identified that allow a rough estimate of the glass transition point only through simple curve metrics of the static properties of supercooled liquids. The vitrification indicators are demonstrated to be quasi-universal by an investigation of hard sphere and inverse power law supercooled liquids. The straightforward extension of the present results to bi-Yukawa systems is also discussed.

Testing the isomorph invariance of the bridge functions of Yukawa one-component plasmas.

It has been recently conjectured that bridge functions remain nearly invariant along phase diagram lines of constant excess entropy for the broad class of R-simple liquids. To test this hypothesis, the bridge functions of Yukawa systems are computed outside the correlation void with the Ornstein-Zernike inversion method employing structural input from ultra-accurate molecular dynamics simulations and inside the correlation void with the cavity distribution method employing structural input from ultra-long specially designed molecular dynamics simulations featuring a tagged particle pair. Yukawa bridge functions are revealed to be isomorph invariant to a very high degree. The observed invariance is not exact, however, since isomorphic deviations exceed the overall uncertainties.

Vibrational model of thermal conduction for fluids with soft interactions.

A vibrational model of heat transfer in simple liquids with soft pairwise interatomic interactions is discussed. A general expression is derived, which involves an averaging over the liquid collective mode excitation spectrum. The model is applied to quantify heat transfer in a dense Lennard-Jones liquid and a strongly coupled one-component plasma. Remarkable agreement with the available numerical results is documented. A similar picture does not apply to the momentum transfer and shear viscosity of liquids.

A unified study of electrical transport properties of some liquid metals by pseudopotential method

A well-recognized local pseudopotential is utilized to study the electrical transport properties such as electrical resistivity (ρ), thermal conductivity (σ) and thermoelectric power (TEP) of some liquid metals. The model potential theory in combination with Ziman, mean free path and Kubo models are implemented in the aforesaid study. The Taylor’s local field correction function is taken for studying the exchange and correlation effect with one component plasma (OCP) structure factor method of liquid metals. The computed data is found highly appreciated order with available either theoretical or experimental outcomes wherever exits.

Inner crust of a neutron star at the point of crystallization in a multicomponent approach (Corrigendum)

The possible presence of amorphous and heterogeneous phases in the inner crust of a neutron star is expected to reduce the electrical conductivity of the crust, with potentially important consequences on the magneto-thermal evolution of the star. In cooling simulations, the disorder is quantified by an impurity parameter which is often taken as a free parameter. We aim to give a quantitative prediction of the impurity parameter as a function of the density in the crust,performing microscopic calculations including up-to-date microphysics of the crust. A multi-component approach is developed at finite temperature using a compressible liquid drop description of the ions with an improved energy functional based on recent microscopic nuclear models and optimized on extended Thomas-Fermi calculations. Thermodynamic consistency is ensured by adding a rearrangement term and deviations from the linear mixing rule are included in the liquid phase. The impurity parameter is consistently calculated at the crystallization temperature as determined in the one-component plasma approximation for the different functionals. Our calculations show that at the crystallization temperature the composition of the inner crust is dominated by nuclei with charge number around $Z \approx 40$, while the range of the $Z$ distribution varies from about 20 near the neutron drip to about 40 closer to the crust-core transition. This reflects on the behavior of the impurity parameter that monotonically increases with density up to around 40 in the deeper regions of the inner crust. Our study shows that the contribution of impurities is non-negligible, thus potentially having an impact on the transport properties in the neutron-star crust. The obtained values of the impurity parameter represent a lower limit; larger values are expected in the presence of non-spherical geometries and/or fast cooling dynamics.

Thermal conduction in two-dimensional complex plasma layers

A simple vibrational model of heat transfer in two-dimensional (2D) fluids relates the heat conductivity coefficient to the longitudinal and transverse sound velocities, specific heat, and mean interatomic separation. This model is demonstrated not to contradict the available experimental and numerical data on heat transfer in 2D complex plasma layers. Additionally, the heat conductivity coefficient of a 2D one-component plasma with a logarithmic interaction is evaluated.

Reduced ionic diffusion by the dynamic electron–ion collisions in warm dense hydrogen

The dynamic electron–ion collisions play an important role in determining the static and transport properties of warm dense matter (WDM). The electron force field (EFF) method is applied to study the ionic transport properties of warm dense hydrogen. Compared with the results from quantum molecular dynamics and orbital-free molecular dynamics, the ionic diffusions are largely reduced by involving the dynamic collisions of electrons and ions. This physics is verified by the quantum Langevin molecular dynamics (QLMD) simulations, which includes electron–ion collision-induced friction (EI-CIF) into the dynamic equation of ions. Based on these new results, we proposed a model including the correction of collision-induced friction of the ionic diffusion. The CIF model has been verified to be valid in a wide range of densities and temperatures. We also compare the results with the Yukawa one-component plasma (YOCP) model and Effective OCP (EOCP) model. We proposed to calculate the self-diffusion coefficients using the EOCP model modified by the CIF model to introduce the dynamic electron–ion collision effect.

Viscosity of the magnetized strongly coupled one-component plasma.

The viscosity tensor of the magnetized one-component plasma, consisting of five independent shear viscosity coefficients, a bulk viscosity coefficient, and a cross coefficient, is computed using equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations and the Green-Kubo relations. A broad range of Coulomb coupling and magnetization strength conditions are studied. Magnetization is found to strongly influence the shear viscosity coefficients when the gyrofrequency exceeds the Coulomb collision frequency. Three regimes are identified as the Coulomb coupling strength and magnetization strength are varied. The Green-Kubo relations are used to separate kinetic and potential energy contributions to each viscosity coefficient, showing how each contribution depends upon the magnetization strength. The shear viscosity coefficient associated with the component of the pressure tensor parallel to the magnetic field, and the two coefficients associated with the component perpendicular to the magnetic field, are all found to merge to a common value at strong Coulomb coupling.

The boundary density profile of a Coulomb droplet. Freezing at the edge

We revisit the problem of computing the boundary density profile of a droplet of two-dimensional one-component plasma (2D OCP) with logarithmic interaction between particles in a confining harmonic potential. At a sufficiently low temperature, but still in the liquid phase, the density exhibits oscillations as a function of the distance to the boundary of the droplet. We obtain the density profile numerically using Monte-Carlo simulations of the 2D OCP. We argue that the decay and period of those oscillations can be explained within a picture of the Wigner crystallization near the boundary, where the crystal is gradually melted with the increasing distance to the boundary.

Dynamic characteristics of three-dimensional strongly coupled plasmas

The dynamic structure factor and other dynamic characteristics of strongly coupled one-component plasmas have been studied [Yu. V. Arkhipov et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 045001 (2017)PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.119.045001] using the self-consistent version of the method of moments. Within any version of the latter, the system dielectric function satisfies all involved sum rules and other exact relations automatically, and the advantage of this version is that, in addition, the dynamic characteristics (the dynamic structure factor, the dispersion, and decay parameters of the collective modes) are all expressed in terms of the static ones (the static structure factor) without any adjustment to the simulation data. The approach outlined in the aforementioned Letter is justified in detail and applied mainly to the classical Coulomb systems achieving satisfactory agreement with new numerical simulation data. It is shown how the realm of applicability of the method can be extended to partly degenerate and multicomponent systems, even to simple liquids. Some additional theoretical results are presented in the Supplemental Material.