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High fidelity equation of state for xenon : integrating experiments and first principles simulations in developing a wide-range equation of state model for a fifth-row element.

Conference ·
OSTI ID:1016336

The noble gas xenon is a particularly interesting element. At standard pressure xenon is an fcc solid which melts at 161 K and then boils at 165 K, thus displaying a rather narrow liquid range on the phase diagram. On the other hand, under pressure the melting point is significantly higher: 3000 K at 30 GPa. Under shock compression, electronic excitations become important at 40 GPa. Finally, xenon forms stable molecules with fluorine (XeF{sub 2}) suggesting that the electronic structure is significantly more complex than expected for a noble gas. With these reasons in mind, we studied the xenon Hugoniot using DFT/QMD and validated the simulations with multi-Mbar shock compression experiments. The results show that existing equation of state models lack fidelity and so we developed a wide-range free-energy based equation of state using experimental data and results from first-principles simulations.

Research Organization:
Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Albuquerque, NM, and Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
AC04-94AL85000
OSTI ID:
1016336
Report Number(s):
SAND2010-3352C; TRN: US201113%%167
Resource Relation:
Conference: Proposed for presentation at the Conference on New Models and Hydrocodes for Shock Wave Processes in Condensed Matter held May 24-28, 2010 in Paris, France.
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English