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Published March 27, 2026 | Version Published
Journal Article Open

Shock compression of liquid helium to 360 GPa

Creators

  • 1. ROR icon University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
  • 2. ROR icon California Institute of Technology
  • 3. ROR icon Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies Commission
  • 4. ROR icon Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
  • 5. ROR icon University of Rochester
  • 6. ROR icon University of California, Berkeley

Abstract

Data for the shock equation of state of helium are obtained up to 360⁢G⁡Pa, nearly doubling the pressure of previous experimental measurements. The helium samples are first precompressed to 2.7⁢g⁡c⁢m−3 in a diamond anvil cell prior to laser-driven shock compression at the Omega Laser Facility. Time-resolved Doppler velocimetry and pyrometry reveal significant reflectivity and greater compressibility compared to the predictions of existing broad-range tabular equation of state models, which may be caused by the onset of ionization. These experimental observations, however, are largely captured with molecular-dynamics simulations based on density functional theory, affirming the ability of first-principles techniques to capture complex physics, while enabling critical insight for the behavior of warm dense helium in Jovian interiors and white dwarf atmospheres.

Copyright and License

Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

Acknowledgement

This work was supported by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Subcontract No. B632749. The work of M.W. was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy NNSA Center of Excellence under cooperative Agreement No. DE-NA0004146 and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as part of the Stewardship Science Graduate Fellowship Program under Grant No. De-NA0003960. The work of B.M. was supported by DOE Grant No. DE-NA0004147. Part of this work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. DOE by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) under Contract No. DE-AC52-07NA27344 and supported by LLNL LDRD Program No. 19-ERD-031. VISAR and SOP data were analyzed with LLNL Analyze visar code. In addition, funding for this research was provided by the Center for Matter at Atomic Pressures (CMAP), a National Science Foundation (NSF) Physics Frontiers Center, under Award No. PHY2020249. This material was partially supported by the Department of Energy, Office of Science, Fusion Energy Sciences under Awards No. DESC0020340 and No. DESC0023341.

Data Availability

The data that support the findings of this article are not publicly available upon publication because it is not technically feasible and/or the cost of preparing, depositing, and hosting the data would be prohibitive within the terms of this research project. The data are available from the authors upon reasonable request.

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Additional details

Funding

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
B632749
United States Department of Energy
DE-NA0004146
United States Department of Energy
DE-NA0003960
United States Department of Energy
DE-NA0004147
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
DE-AC52-07NA27344
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
19-ERD-031
National Science Foundation
PHY2020249
Office of Fusion Energy Sciences
DESC0020340
Office of Fusion Energy Sciences
DESC0023341

Dates

Submitted
2025-04-11
Accepted
2026-02-10

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Caltech groups
Division of Engineering and Applied Science (EAS)
Publication Status
Published