Pulsed power method for determining the electrical conductivities of metals from ambient to HED conditions

Simulation of a wide range of astrophysical and high energy density (HED) phenomenon requires accurate modeling of the electrical conductivity of materials at elevated pressures and temperatures. Existing techniques for probing electrical conductivities are limited to the moderate pressures achievable under static compression (DAC), and often can’t capture high temperature states. We present ongoing work on a magnetic direct drive (MDD) planar flyer technique to infer the electrical conductivity of metals – in this case copper – from ambient conditions up to temperatures and pressures in excess of 4000 K and 10 GPa, respectively. Minor modifications (<10%) were found to be necessary to the previous Lee-More-Desjarlais model isotherms in the vicinity of the high pressure/temperature melt transition as a result of our experimental data. This work uses the Sandia National Laboratories’ 2 MA Thor pulsed power driver, which presents the possibility of conducting experiments of this class at university scale facilities.

Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525.