Progress towards characterizing large volumes of WDM heated with a monochromatic electron beam

Record levels of warm dense matter have been created at a mass and volume of 22 mg and 2.5 x 10^-3 cm³ with a monochromatic electron beam. The hydrodynamic motion of the material has been characterized through the heating process utilizing photonic Doppler velocimetry (PDV). A quantitative set of hydro models using the particle beam energy deposition package in LASNEX indicate comparable expansion to those measured with PDV. These models confirm the slow heating process and pressure release at P > 200 kbar. In addition models indicate once the material transitions into the warm dense phase it lasts for >150 ns; providing the flexibility to study large volumes of this phase on long time scales. Additional diagnostics are under development to measure the WDM including X-ray Thomson scattering, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and X-ray imaging. Preliminary measurements of the expanding density gradient will be presented which are critical for confirming the lifetime and cutoff region of the warm dense phase compared to detailed LASNEX simulations.