Electrical conductivity and thermopower of metallic helium

The pair effective interionic interaction, electrical resistance, and thermopower of liquid metallic helium have been calculated over wide temperature and density ranges using the perturbation theory for the potential of electron-ion interaction. For conduction electrons, the random-phase approximation has been used taking into account the exchange interaction and correlations in the local-field approximation. The nuclear subsystem has been described by the hard-sphere model. The sphere diameter is the only parameter of the theory. The diameter and the system density at which helium is transformed from the singly ionized to doubly ionized state have been estimated based on an analysis of the pair effective interaction between helium nuclei. The case of doubly ionized helium atoms has been considered. The numerical calculations have been performed taking into account the perturbation theory in terms up to the third order. In all cases, the role of the third-order correction is significant. In the case of metallic helium, the values of the electrical resistance and its temperature dependence are characteristic of divalent simple liquid metals, as well as the dependences of the thermopower on the density and temperature.     

Metallization degree of hydrogen at a pressure of 1.4 Mbar and a temperature a 3000 K

The electrical resistivity of liquid metallic hydrogen at a temperature of 3000 K and a density of 0.35 mol/cm³ is calculated. Hydrogen is considered as a three-component system consisting of electrons, protons, and neutral hydrogen atoms. The second order of perturbation theory in electron-proton and electron-atom interactions is used to determine the inverse relaxation time for electric conductivity. The Coulomb electron-electron interaction is taken into account in the random phase approximation and the exchange interaction and correlation of conductivity electrons are included in the local-field approximation. The model of hard spheres is used for the proton and atomic subsystems. The concentration of the electrically neutral atomic component proved to be significantly lower than the value assumed by the discoverers of metallic hydrogen.     

Collisional-radiative volume recombination and ionization coefficients for He+-He2+-e plasmas

Coefficients have been calculated for collisional-radiative recombination of doubly ionized helium atoms with electrons and collisional-radiative ionization of singly into doubly ionized helium atoms due to electronic collisions and radiative absorption. Up to one hundred coupled equations have been solved which corresponds to a level system in which levels up to principal quantum number one hundred have been taken into account. The numerical results are presented in form of curves for a large number of parameters corresponding to very different experimental situations. Comparison of our values with those experimentally determined by Mosburg and by Gippiuset al. is made.     

High temperature equation of state of metallic hydrogen

The equation of state of liquid metallic hydrogen is solved numerically. Investigations are carried out at temperatures from 3000 to 20 000 K and densities from 0.2 to 3 mol/cm³, which correspond both to the experimental conditions under which metallic hydrogen is produced on earth and the conditions in the cores of giant planets of the solar system such as Jupiter and Saturn. It is assumed that hydrogen is in an atomic state and all its electrons are collectivized. Perturbation theory in the electron-proton interaction is applied to determine the thermodynamic potentials of metallic hydrogen. The electron subsystem is considered in the randomphase approximation with regard to the exchange interaction and the correlation of electrons in the local-field approximation. The proton-proton interaction is taken into account in the hard-spheres approximation. The thermodynamic characteristics of metallic hydrogen are calculated with regard to the zero-, second-, and third-order perturbation theory terms. The third-order term proves to be rather essential at moderately high temperatures and densities, although it is much smaller than the second-order term. The thermodynamic potentials of metallic hydrogen are monotonically increasing functions of density and temperature. The values of pressure for the temperatures and pressures that are characteristic of the conditions under which metallic hydrogen is produced on earth coincide with the corresponding values reported by the discoverers of metallic hydrogen to a high degree of accuracy. The temperature and density ranges are found in which there exists a liquid phase of metallic hydrogen.     

Recombination of doubly ionized atoms in the afterglow of a helium plasma produced by laser

Experimental investigation of the collisional-radiative decay coefficient of doubly ionized helium atoms in a helium plasma produced by laser is reported. Comparison of our experimental values with the theoretical values determined by Drawin-Emard is made. A reasonable agreement is obtained if we take into account the optical thickness of the plasma.     

Equation of state and interaction potential of helium under high temperatures and high densities

Based on the thermodynamics statistic method, the improved variational perturbation theory and the modified quantum mechanics correction model have been used to calculate the equation of state of liquid helium at pressure from 0.7 to 108 GPa. The calculation results are in good agreement with the experimental data. The EXP-6 potential (α = 13.1) can more accurately describe the interaction of helium atoms than other potentials in the scheme. Finally, a comparison is shown between our interatomic potentials and other potentials.     

Ionization-excitation of helium into the np (n = 2−5) states

Cross sections for the simultaneous ionization and excitation to the np states (n = 2−5) of the helium atom by fast proton and antiproton impact have been calculated. We have applied the impact parameter method and have used second-order perturbation approximation. Electron correlation has been taken into account in the initial state but has been neglected in the final state. Our cross sections are compared to the experimental data.     

Response of the Electron Kinetics on Spatial Disturbances of the Electric Field in Nonisothermal Plasmas

An efficient method for solving the inhomogeneous electron Boltzmann equation for a weakly ionized collision dominated plasma is represented. As a first application this method is used to investigate in a helium plasma the response of the electron velocity distribution function and of the relevant macroscopic quantities to the impact of spatially limited disturbances in the electric field. In addition to the field action elastic and (conservative) inelastic collisions of electrons with gas atoms are taken into account in the kinetic treatment. In this way the spatial relaxation behaviour of the electrons and their establishment into homogeneous plasma states could be studied on a strict kinetic basis. Unexpectedly large relaxation lengths in electron acceleration direction have been found at medium electric fields.     

Effective proton-proton interaction and metallization of hydrogen

The effective proton-proton interaction in metallic hydrogen has been calculated for various densities. In the potential of this interaction, which can be represented in the form of a series of perturbation theory in the electron-proton interaction, the second- and third-order terms are taken into account. The second-order term gives a comparatively shallow potential well with one minimum. The position of the minimum corresponds to the equilibrium mutual position of protons in metallic hydrogen. When the third-order term is additionally taken into account, the potential has two characteristic minima; the position of one of them corresponds to the distance between the protons in a hydrogen molecule. The depths of these potential wells depend on the density of the system. At fairly high densities, only the potential well corresponding to the equilibrium position of protons in the metallic phase holds in the proton-proton potential. Owing to the presence of two minima in the effective proton-proton potential, the density of hydrogen at the point of transition to the metallic state can be estimated. Analysis of the effective proton-proton interaction makes it also possible to estimate the possibility of the existence of metallic hydrogen in a stable state at quite low temperatures.     

Nonlinear resonances in the near-field interaction between atoms

It has been shown that nonlinear near-field optical resonances occur in diatomic nanostructures consisting of identical or different two-level atoms in the presence of a radiation field when the dipole-dipole interaction is taken into account. The frequencies of these resonances depend strongly on the intensity of the external optical radiation, on the initial conditions, on the polarization of the external field with respect to the axis of the nanostructure, and on the interatomic distance. The interatomic interaction is taken into account beyond perturbation theory. For this reason, the effective polarizabilities of the atoms of the nanostructure are expressed in terms of the polynomials of both the interatomic distance and the electric field strength of the external optical wave. A “falling tower” effect that is caused by the nonlinear behavior of the local dipole moments of atoms in the nanostructure is predicted.     

The statistics of nearest neighbor impurity pair formation in semiconductors2

The equilibrium concentrations of doubly ionized, singly ionized and neutral, nearest neighbor pairs of donor-donor and acceptor-acceptor type of impurity pairs have been studied at the temperature of diffusion. In the calculations, the discrete nature of the host lattice and, the internal energies of the pairs have been taken into account. Further, the effect of degeneracy on pair formations was investigated at high levels of doping densities.     

Stark broadening in the Sb III spectrum

The shapes of nine doubly ionized antimony (Sb III) spectral lines have been obtained in the laboratory helium plasma at 17 500 K electron temperature and electron density of . Measured line profiles are of a Voigt type. At the mentioned plasma conditions the Stark broadening has been found as the dominant mechanism in the Sb III line shapes formation. Using a deconvolution procedure the Lorentz (Stark) FWHM (Full-Width at Half of the Maximal intensity, W) have been obtained. Our measured Sb III Stark widths are the first data in the literature. The modified version of the linear, low-pressure, pulsed arc was used as a plasma source operated in helium with antimony atoms, as impurities. They were evaporated from the thin antimony layer, deposited on the silver cylindrical plates, located in the homogenous part of the discharge. This plasma source ensures good conditions for the generation of the doubly ionized antimony atoms in the helium plasma due to atomic processes concerning helium metastables.     

Kinetics of self-interstitials reactions in p-type silicon irradiated with alpha particles

New findings on the self-interstitial migration in p-type silicon are presented. They are based on experimental studies of the formation kinetics of defects related to interstitial carbon after irradiation with alpha particles. The main parameters characterizing the interaction rate of silicon self-interstitials with substitutional carbon atoms have been determined. A preliminary interpretation of the experimental data is given. The interpretation takes into account different diffusivities of self-interstitials in their singly and doubly ionized states.     

Many-body calculation of dynamic quadrupole polarizability and related properties of lithium

Dynamic quadrupole polarizability of lithium atom has been calculated in its ground state using linked cluster many-body perturbation theory. Van der Waals constants have been calculated for dipole-quadrupole and quadrupole-quadrupole interactions of lithium atoms with helium and other lithium atoms. The results compare well with other available values.     

The Hartree-Fock method with orthogonality restrictions for doubly excited and ionized states

It is shown that the doubly excited and ionized states with vacancies in the K electronic shells can be considered within the framework of the same scheme on the basis of the asymptotic projection method proposed earlier. In contrast to the conventional methods, the electron detachment effect is achieved by imposing the requirement that the orbitals of the excited (hole) state be orthogonal to the orbitals of removed electrons. The solution of equations that determine the orbitals is implemented in terms of the conventional spin-unrestricted Hartree-Fock method with additional conditions that ensure the spin purity and provide a unique choice of the zero-order approximation in constructing the many-particle perturbation theory for taking into account the correlation effects. The performance of the method is demonstrated by calculating the excitation energies and ionization potentials corresponding to the removal of electrons from the inner K-shell.     

A new channel of the concentration decay of doubly charged helium ions in a plasma

A model describing the decay of concentrations of excited helium atoms and ions taking into account doubly ionized helium is constructed on the basis of experimental data on excitation of a helium plasma by a pulsed electron beam. From this model, the rate constant of reaction He⁺⁺+He_m→He⁺+He ₀ ⁺ is estimated. It is found to agree in order of magnitude with theoretical estimates made in the framework of a model of polarization capture.     

On the mechanism of muon spin depolarization in the Spur model for Mu formation

The Mu formation mechanism due to Coulomb interaction of a muon with track electrons is considered. It is shown that taking into account the external electric field must essentially change the spin polarization behavior in liquid helium. The theory developed is consistent with experiments.     

Time-dependent close-coupling calculations of dielectronic capture in He

We report on the first time-dependent close-coupling calculation of dielectronic capture into a doubly excited state of a two-electron atom. An incoming electron is represented by a Gaussian wave packet which collides with singly ionized helium in its ground state. The close-coupling equations describe the propagation of the total compound wave function on a two-dimensional radial lattice. By projecting this wave function onto a doubly excited state of neutral helium, we can determine the probability amplitude for dielectronic capture into one of these states and the subsequent autoionization from it.     

Density shift and broadening of transition lines in antiprotonic helium

The density shift and broadening of the transition lines of antiprotonic helium have been evaluated in the impact approximation using an interatomic potential calculated ab initio with the symmetry-adapted perturbation theory. The results help to remove an uncertainty of up to 10 ppm in the laser spectroscopy data on antiprotonic helium and are of importance in experimental tests of bound state QED and CPT invariance.