The Equation of State and the Hugoniot of Laser Shock-Compressed Deuterium

Abstract

The equation of state and the shock Hugoniot of deuterium are calculated using a first-principles approach, for the conditions of the recent shock experiments. We use density functional theory within a classical mapping of the quantum fluids [ Phys. Rev. Letters, {\bf 84}, 959 (2000) ]. The calculated Hugoniot is close to the Path-Integral Monte Carlo (PIMC) result. We also consider the {\it quasi-equilibrium} two-temperature case where the Deuterons are hotter than the electrons; the resulting quasi-equilibrium Hugoniot mimics the laser-shock data. The increased compressibility arises from hot $D^+-e$ pairs occuring close to the zero of the electron chemical potential.