Localization and Screening Enhancement in Asymmetric Binary Ionic Mixtures

The equation of state of binary ionic mixtures of similar ions, such as nitrogen, oxygen and carbon, has been extensively studied. The study of dense asymmetric mixtures, where Z₂ >> Z₁, has primarily focused on mixtures of hydrogen and iron at solar conditions. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we examine the behavior of highly asymmetric binary ionic mixtures, where the coupling of the high‐Z species may be orders of magnitude higher than the coupling of the low‐Z species. For the conditions we have studied, we find that strong correlations and signatures of solidification occur in the high‐Z species, while the low‐Z species exists as a freely flowing fluid within the high‐Z solid matrix. Solidification of the low‐Z species is correlated with the coupling between the two components. Using the Widom expansion method, we compute the plasma screening enhancement of the nuclear reaction rates for Z = 1 in a high‐Z matrix. We also provide some estimates of the coefficient of binary diffusion in the mixture. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)