Rightley S, Baalrud SD. Kinetic model for electron-ion transport in warm dense matter.
Phys Rev E 2021;
103:063206. [PMID:
34271617 DOI:
10.1103/physreve.103.063206]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
We present a model for electron-ion transport in warm dense matter that incorporates Coulomb coupling effects into the quantum Boltzmann equation of Uehling and Uhlenbeck through the use of a statistical potential of mean force. Although the model presented here can be derived rigorously in the classical limit [S. D. Baalrud and J. Daligault, Phys. Plasmas 26, 082106 (2019)PHPAEN1070-664X10.1063/1.5095655], its quantum generalization is complicated by the uncertainty principle. Here we apply an existing model for the potential of mean force based on the quantum Ornstein-Zernike equation coupled with an average-atom model [C. E. Starrett, High Energy Density Phys. 25, 8 (2017)1574-181810.1016/j.hedp.2017.09.003]. This potential contains correlations due to both Coulomb coupling and exchange, and the collision kernel of the kinetic theory enforces Pauli blocking while allowing for electron diffraction and large-angle collisions. We use the Uehling-Uhlenbeck equation to predict the momentum and temperature relaxation times and electrical conductivity of solid density aluminum plasma based on electron-ion collisions. We present results for density and temperature conditions that span the transition from classical weakly-coupled plasma to degenerate moderately-coupled plasma. Our findings agree well with recent quantum molecular dynamics simulations.
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