Updates to non-LTE equation of state in the Ares multi-physics code

We present progress incorporating non-LTE (non- Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium) effects into the plasma equation of state (EOS) in the Ares multi-physics code developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). Accounting for non-LTE effects is crucial for obtaining accurate simulations of hohlraums and imploding capsules for inertial confinement fusion applications on the National Ignition Facility. The non-LTE atomic kinetics are tracked via routines originally developed for the LLNL plasma radiative transfer code CRETIN. Past work has utilized the CRETIN routines to generate non-LTE opacities, emissivities, and ionization states in Ares, but with limited self-consistency regarding other EOS quantities, particularly the material specific heat and pressure. We include test problems illustrating our progress in achieving this broader self-consistency, including comparisons to KULL, another LLNL multi-physics code.