Diamond formation in polystyrene (C 8 H 8 ) n , which is laser-compressed and heated to conditions around 150 GPa and 5000 K, has recently been demonstrated in the laboratory [Kraus et al., Nat. Astron. 1, 606-611 (2017)]. Here, we show an extended analysis and comparison to first-principles simulations of the acquired data and their implications for planetary physics and inertial confinement fusion. Moreover, we discuss the advanced diagnostic capabilities of adding high-quality small angle X-ray scattering and spectrally resolved X-ray scattering to the platform, which shows great prospects of precisely studying the kinetics of chemical reactions in dense plasma environments at pressures exceeding 100 GPa. V

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An improved virial expansion for the low-density limit of the electrical conductivity σ(T, n) of hydrogen as the simplest ionic plasma is presented. Quantum statistical methods provide exact values for the lowest virial coefficients, which serve as a benchmark for analytical approaches to electrical conductivity as well as for numerical results from density functional theory based molecular dynamics simulations (DFT-MD) or path-integral Monte Carlo (PIMC) simulations. The correction factor introduced by Reinholz et al., Phys. Rev. E 91, 043105 (2015) is applied to describe the inclusion of electron-electron collisions in DFT based calculations of transport coefficients. As a benchmark, the first virial coefficient is correctly described with this approach. The value of the second virial coefficient is discussed, questions about its value according to DFT-MD simulations are addressed.

We investigated the high-pressure behavior of polyethylene (CH2) by probing dynamically-compressed samples with X-ray diffraction. At pressures up to 200 GPa, comparable to those present inside icy giant planets (Uranus, Neptune), shock-compressed polyethylene retains a polymer crystal structure, from which we infer the presence of significant covalent bonding. The A2/m structure which we observe has previously been seen at significantly lower pressures, and the equation of state measured agrees with our findings. This result appears to contrast with recent data from shock-compressed polystyrene (CH) at higher temperatures, which demonstrated demixing and recrystallization into a diamond lattice, implying the breaking of the original chemical bonds. As such chemical processes have significant implications for the structure and energy transfer within ice giants, our results highlight the need for a deeper understanding of the chemistry of high pressure hydrocarbons, and the importance of better constraining planetary temperature profiles.

We present structure and equation of state (EOS) measurements of biaxially orientated polyethylene terephthalate (PET, $$({\hbox {C}}_{10} {\hbox {H}}_8 {\hbox {O}}_4)_n$$ ( C 10 H 8 O 4 ) n , also called mylar) shock-compressed to ($$155 \pm 20$$ 155 ± 20 ) GPa and ($$6000 \pm 1000$$ 6000 ± 1000 ) K using in situ X-ray diffraction, Doppler velocimetry, and optical pyrometry. Comparing to density functional theory molecular dynamics (DFT-MD) simulations, we find a highly correlated liquid at conditions differing from predictions by some equations of state tables, which underlines the influence of complex chemical interactions in this regime. EOS calculations from ab initio DFT-MD simulations and shock Hugoniot measurements of density, pressure and temperature confirm the discrepancy to these tables and present an experimentally benchmarked correction to the description of PET as an exemplary material to represent the mixture of light elements at planetary interior conditions.

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X-ray Thomson scattering (XRTS) is a powerful diagnostic technique that involves an x-ray source interacting with a dense plasma sample, resulting in a spectrum of elastically and inelastically scattered x-rays. Depending on the plasma conditions, one can measure a range of parameters from the resulting spectrum, including plasma temperature, electron density, and ionization state. To achieve sensitivity to collective electron oscillations, XRTS measurements require limited momentum transfer where the spectral separation of elastic and inelastic scattering is small. Such measurements require an x-ray probe source with a narrow bandwidth in order to reduce the spectral overlap between scattering contributions, allowing for the different features to be more precisely deconvolved. In this investigation, we discuss the theory behind how the bandwidth for a common XRTS probe, Zn He-α emission at 9 keV, can be reduced using a Cu K-edge filter. Proof-of-principle experiments conducted at the OMEGA laser facility confirm that this is an effective method for attenuating the higher energy He-α peak in the Zn emission spectrum. Calibration measurements at the National Ignition Facility show a reduction in spectral bandwidth from 87 eV to 48 eV when using the Cu filter, which will be important to improve the spectral resolution of future XRTS measurements that will probe plasmon oscillations in strongly compressed plasmas of low-Z materials at densities of tens of g/cm3.