Molecular dynamics simulations of temperature equilibration in dense hydrogen.

The temperature equilibration rate between electrons and protons in dense hydrogen has been calculated with molecular dynamics simulations for temperatures between 10 and 600eV and densities between 10;{20}cm;{-3}to10;{24}cm;{-3} . Careful attention has been devoted to convergence of the simulations, including the role of semiclassical potentials. We find that for Coulomb logarithms L greater, similar1 , a model by Gericke-Murillo-Schlanges (GMS) [D. O. Gericke, Phys. Rev. E 65, 036418 (2002)] based on a T -matrix method and the approach by Brown-Preston-Singleton [L. S. Brown, Phys. Rep. 410, 237 (2005)] agrees with the simulation data to within the error bars of the simulation. For smaller Coulomb logarithms, the GMS model is consistent with the simulation results. Landau-Spitzer models are consistent with the simulation data for L>4 .

First principles molecular dynamics of dense plasmas.

Ab initio molecular dynamics calculations are performed for the equation of state of aluminum, spanning condensed matter and dense plasma regimes. Electronic exchange and correlation are included with either a zero- or finite-temperature local density approximation potential. Standard methods are extended to above the Fermi temperature by using final state pseudopotentials to describe thermally excited ion cores. The predicted Hugoniot equation of state agrees well with earlier plasma theories and with experiment for temperatures from 0 to 3 x 10(6) K.