Breakdown of Fermi Degeneracy in the Simplest Liquid Metal

M. Zaghoo, T. R. Boehly, J. R. Rygg, P. M. Celliers, S. X. Hu, and G. W. Collins
Phys. Rev. Lett. 122, 085001 – Published 27 February 2019
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Abstract

We are reporting the observation of the breakdown of electrons’ degeneracy and emergence of classical statistics in the simplest element: metallic deuterium. We have studied the optical reflectance, shock velocity, and temperature of dynamically compressed liquid deuterium up to its Fermi temperature TF. Above the insulator-metal transition, the optical reflectance shows the distinctive temperature-independent resistivity saturation, which is prescribed by Mott’s minimum metallic limit, in agreement with previous experiments. At T>0.4TF, however, the reflectance of metallic deuterium starts to rise with a temperature-dependent slope, consistent with the breakdown of the Fermi surface. The experimentally inferred electron-ion collisional time in this region exhibits the characteristic temperature dependence expected for a classical Landau-Spitzer plasma. Our observation of electron degeneracy lifting extends studies of degeneracy to new fermionic species—electron Fermi systems—and offers an invaluable benchmark for quantum statistical models of Coulomb systems over a wide range of temperatures relevant to dense astrophysical objects and ignition physics.

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  • Received 15 October 2018
  • Revised 2 January 2019

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.085001

© 2019 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Plasma PhysicsStatistical Physics & ThermodynamicsGeneral Physics

Authors & Affiliations

M. Zaghoo1,*, T. R. Boehly1, J. R. Rygg1,3, P. M. Celliers2, S. X. Hu1, and G. W. Collins1,3

  • 1Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14623-1299, USA
  • 2Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550-9234, USA
  • 3Departments of Mechanical Engineering, and Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, New York 14623, USA

  • *Corresponding author. mzag@lle.rochester.edu

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Issue

Vol. 122, Iss. 8 — 1 March 2019

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