| Abstract | The behavior of partially ionized hot compressed matter is critical to the study of planetary interiors as well as nuclear fusion studies. A recent quantum study of carbon in the 10–70 Gbar range and at a temperature of 100 eV used N-atom density functional theory (DFT) with N ∼ 32–64 and molecular dynamics (MD). This involves band-structure-type electronic calculations and averaging over many MD-generated ion configurations. The calculated average number of free electrons per ion, viz., ⁻Z, was systematically higher than from a standard average-atom quantum calculation. To clarify this offset, we examine the effect of the self-interaction error in such estimates and the possibility of carbon being in a granular plasma state containing Coulomb crystals with a magic number. The electrical conductivity, pressure, and compressibility of the carbon system are examined. The very low conductivity and the high-⁻Z results of DFT MD point to the existence of carbon in a complex, nonuniform, low-conducting dispersed phase, possibly containing magic-number Coulomb crystals. The neutral pseudoatom estimate of ⁻Z, conductivity, compressibility, and pressure reported here pertain to the uniform liquid. |
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