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Laser-shock Compression of Liquid Hydrogen and Interior Structure of Gas Giant Planets (Joint Seminar – Department of Earth Sciences & Department of Physics)

Speaker Takayoshi Sano
Affiliation Institute of Laser Engineering, Osaka University
Date November 22, 2010 (Mon)
Time 4:00-5:00 p.m.
Venue Room 522, 5/F, Chong Yuet Ming Physics Building, HKU

Abstract:

The properties of hydrogen at high pressure and high density are of great scientific interest. The equation of state (EOS) of hydrogen at these conditions is essential for modeling of the interior structure of gas giant planets. The large diversity in the estimation of Jupiter's core mass is resulted from the uncertainty in the EOS data especially in the region around the insulator-to-metal transition. Therefore accurate experimental data for the hydrogen EOS are required for evaluation of the theoretical models and for further understanding of the fundamental nature of hydrogen.

 

Recently we obtained the principal Hugoniot for liquid hydrogen up to 55 GPa under laser-driven shock loading using the GEKKO laser at Osaka University. Pressure and density of compressed hydrogen were determined by impedance-matching to a quartz standard. The shocked temperature was independently measured from the brightness of the shock front. Hugoniot data of hydrogen provide a good benchmark to modern theories of condensed matter. The initial number density of liquid hydrogen is lower than that for liquid deuterium, and this results in shock compressed hydrogen having a higher compression and higher temperature than deuterium at the same shock pressure.

 

Coffee and tea will be served 20 minutes prior to the seminar