Insulator-metal transition in dense fluid deuterium

Abstract

Laser-shocking deuterium into metal The conditions in which hydrogen disassociates and becomes an atomic metal occur in high-energy-density environments, such as the interiors of giant planets and nuclear explosions. Celliers et al. trained 168 lasers on deuterium samples at the National Ignition Facility to measure the pressure and temperature conditions of the hydrogen transition. Careful optical measurements led to the addition of four new points on the phase diagram, consistent with static estimates and theoretical calculations. Science , this issue p. 677