Electrical conductivity of hydrogen shocked to megabar pressures
The properties of ultra-high pressure hydrogen have been the subject of much experimental and theoretical study. Of particular interest is the pressure-induced insulator-to-metal transition of hydrogen which, according to recent theoretical calculations, is predicted to occur by band-overlap in the pressure range of 1.5-3.0 Mbars on the zero temperature isotherm. Extremely high pressures are required for metallization since the low-pressure band gap is about 15 eV. Recent static-pressure diamond anvil cell experiments have searched for evidence of an insulator-to-metal transition, but no conclusive evidence for such a transition has yet been supplied. Providing conclusive evidence for hydrogen metallization is difficult because no technique has yet been developed for performing static high-pressure electrical conductivity experiments at megabar pressures. The authors report here on electrical conductivity experiments performed on H{sub 2} and D{sub 2} multi-shocked to megabar pressures. Electrical conductivities of dense fluid hydrogen at these pressures and temperatures reached are needed for calculations of the magnetic fields of Jupiter and Saturn, the magnetic fields being generated by convective dynamos of hot, dense, semiconducting fluid hydrogen. Also, since electrical conduction at the pressure-temperature conditions being studied is due to the thermal excitation of charge carriers across the electronic band gap, these experiments yield valuable information on the width of the band gap at high densities.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 10179599
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-JC--114575; CONF-930676--46; ON: DE93019632
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
664400
74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
COMPRESSION
DENSITY
DEUTERIUM
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ENERGY GAP
EQUATIONS OF STATE
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
EXPERIMENTALLY DERIVED INFORMATION ON ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PROPERTIES
HYDROGEN
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
SHOCK WAVES
TEMPERATURE RANGE 1000-4000 K
VERY HIGH PRESSURE
74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
COMPRESSION
DENSITY
DEUTERIUM
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ENERGY GAP
EQUATIONS OF STATE
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
EXPERIMENTALLY DERIVED INFORMATION ON ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PROPERTIES
HYDROGEN
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
SHOCK WAVES
TEMPERATURE RANGE 1000-4000 K
VERY HIGH PRESSURE