Direct observation of an abrupt insulator-to-metal transition in dense liquid deuterium

Abstract

Driving liquid deuterium into metal Quick and powerful compression can force materials to change their properties dramatically. Knudson et al. compressed liquid deuterium to extreme temperatures and pressures using high-energy magnetic pulses at the Sandia Z-machine (see the Perspective by Ackland). Deuterium began to reflect like a mirror during compression, as the electrical conductivity sharply increased. The observed conditions for metallization of deuterium and hydrogen help us to build theoretical models for the universe's most abundant element. This a our understanding of the internal layering of gas giant planets such as Jupiter and Saturn. Science , this issue p. 1455 ; see also p. 1429