Electrical Conductivity of Dense Copper and Aluminum Plasmas

Phys. Rev. E 57, 5945 (1998)https://ireap.umd.edu/10.1103/PhysRevE.57.59451998Journal ArticlePlasma, Accelerator, and Nuclear Physics

Measurements are reported of the electrical conductivity of dense copper and aluminum plasmas in the temperature range 10–30 kK, in a density range from about one-fifth solid density down to 0.02⁢g⁡/c⁢m3. Plasmas were created by rapid vaporization of metal wires in a water bath. At temperatures below about 15 kK, as density decreases from the highest values measured, the conductivity falls roughly as the cube of density, reaches a minimum, and subsequently rises to approach the Spitzer prediction at low density. This minimum is not seen for temperatures above about 20 kK. These results are compared with several theoretical predictions.