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We discuss the possibility of obtaining highly precise measurements of the ionization potential depression in dense plasmas with spectrally resolved x-ray scattering, while simultaneously determining the electron temperature and the free electron density. A proof-of-principle experiment at the Linac Coherent Light Source, probing isochorically heated carbon samples, demonstrates the capabilities of this method and motivates future experiments at x-ray free electron laser facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The matter in extreme conditions end station at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) is a new tool enabling accurate pump–probe measurements for studying the physical properties of matter in the high-energy density (HED) physics regime. This instrument combines the world’s brightest x-ray source, the LCLS x-ray beam, with high-power lasers consisting of two nanosecond Nd:glass laser beams and one short-pulse Ti:sapphire laser. These lasers produce short-lived states of matter with high pressures, high temperatures or high densities with properties that are important for applications in nuclear fusion research, laboratory astrophysics and the development of intense radiation sources. In the first experiments, we have performed highly accurate x-ray diffraction and x-ray Thomson scattering measurements on shock-compressed matter resolving the transition from compressed solid matter to a co-existence regime and into the warm dense matter state. These complex charged-particle systems are dominated by strong correlations and quantum effects. They exist in planetary interiors and laboratory experiments, e.g., during high-power laser interactions with solids or the compression phase of inertial confinement fusion implosions. Applying record peak brightness x-rays resolves the ionic interactions at atomic (Ångstrom) scale lengths and measure the static structure factor, which is a key quantity for determining equation of state data and important transport coefficients. Simultaneously, spectrally resolved measurements of plasmon features provide dynamic structure factor information that yield temperature and density with unprecedented precision at micron-scale resolution in dynamic compression experiments. These studies have demonstrated our ability to measure fundamental thermodynamic properties that determine the state of matter in the HED physics regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We re-investigate some classical approaches for collisional absorption of laser radiation in dense plasmas and compare them to quantum theories. The typical break-down of the classical approaches can be avoided by using the quantum dielectric function in the seminal Dawson and Oberman formula which is equivalent to recently published quantum theories of collisional absorption. Strong electron-ion scattering can however be included more easily in classical approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present results for the ionic structure in dense, moderately to strongly coupled plasmas using two models: the mean spherical approximation (MSA) and the hypernetted chain (HNC) approach. While the first method allows for an analytical solution, the latter has to be solved iteratively. Independent of the coupling strength, the results show only small differences when the ions are considered to form an unscreened one-component plasma (OCP) system. If the electrons are treated as a polarizable background, the different ways to incorporate the screening yield, however, large discrepancies between the models, particularly for more strongly coupled plasmas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]