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arXiv · 1701.03532

Conductivity and Dissociation in Metallic Hydrogen: Implications for Planetary Interiors

Mohamed Zaghoo·Isaac F. Silvera
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Abstract

Liquid metallic hydrogen (LMH) was recently produced under static compression and high temperatures in bench-top experiments. Here, we report a study of the optical reflectance of LMH in the pressure region of 1.4-1.7 Mbar and use the Drude free-electron model to determine its optical conductivity. We find static electrical conductivity of metallic hydrogen to be 11,000-15,000 S/cm. A substantial dissociation fraction is required to best fit the energy dependence of the observed reflectance. LMH at our experimental conditions is largely atomic and degenerate, not primarily molecular. We determine a plasma frequency and the optical conductivity. Properties are used to analyze planetary structure of hydrogen rich planets such as Jupiter.

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Mohamed Zaghoo, Isaac F. Silvera. 2017-01-12. Conductivity and Dissociation in Metallic Hydrogen: Implications for Planetary Interiors. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1707918114

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