Title: Kinetic theory for strongly coupled Coulomb systems

Abstract

The calculation of dynamical properties for matter under extreme conditions is a challenging task. The popular Kubo-Greenwood model exploits elements from equilibrium density-functional theory (DFT) that allow a detailed treatment of electron correlations, but its origin is largely phenomenological; traditional kinetic theories have a more secure foundation but are limited to weak ion-electron interactions. The objective here is to show how a combination of the two evolves naturally from the short-time limit for the generator of the effective single-electron dynamics governing time correlation functions without such limitations. This provides a theoretical context for the current DFT-related approach, the Kubo-Greenwood model, while showing the nature of its corrections. The method is to calculate the short-time dynamics in the single-electron subspace for a given configuration of the ions. This differs from the usual kinetic theory approach in which an average over the ions is performed as well. In this way the effective ion-electron interaction includes strong Coulomb coupling and is shown to be determined from DFT. The correlation functions have the form of the random-phase approximation for an inhomogeneous system but with renormalized ion-electron and electron-electron potentials. The dynamic structure function, density response function, and electrical conductivity are calculated as examples. Themore » static local field corrections in the dielectric function are identified in this way. The current analysis is limited to semiclassical electrons (quantum statistical potentials), so important quantum conditions are excluded. However, a quantization of the kinetic theory is identified for broader application while awaiting its detailed derivation.« less

Authors:

Dufty, James ^[1]; Wrighton, Jeffrey ^[1]

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+ Show Author Affiliations

1. Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL (United States). Dept. of Physics

Publication Date:

Tue Jan 30 00:00:00 EST 2018

Research Org.:

Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:

USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)

OSTI Identifier:

1541209

Alternate Identifier(s):

OSTI ID: 1418705

Grant/Contract Number:  

SC0002139

Resource Type:

Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:

Physical Review E

Additional Journal Information:

Journal Volume: 97; Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 2470-0045

Publisher:

American Physical Society (APS)

Country of Publication:

United States

Language:

English

Subject:

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS