Renormalized cluster expansion of the microfield distribution in a strongly coupled two-component plasmas

TL;DR

This paper develops a renormalized cluster expansion method to accurately predict the microfield distribution in strongly coupled two-component plasmas, improving upon existing models and validated by molecular dynamics simulations.

Contribution

It generalizes the cluster expansion techniques to two-component plasmas and introduces corrections to the PMFEX approximation, enhancing its accuracy for high ionic charges.

Findings

Corrections improve PMFEX for Z > 5

PMFEX fails at neutral points with strong coupling

Corrected model aligns well with simulations at high Z

Abstract

The electric microfield distribution (MFD) at an impurity ion is studied for two-component (TCP) electron-ion plasmas using molecular dynamics simulation and theoretical models. The particles are treated within classical statistical mechanics using an electron-ion Coulomb potential regularized at distances less than the de Broglie length to take into account quantum-diffraction effects. Corrections to the potential-of-mean-force exponential (PMFEX) approximation recently proposed for MFD in a strongly coupled TCP [Phys. Rev. E 72, 036403 (2005)] are obtained and discussed. This has been done by a generalization of the standard Baranger-Mozer and renormalized cluster expansion techniques originally developed for the one-component plasmas to the TCPs. The results obtained for a neutral point are compared with those from molecular dynamics simulations. It is shown that the corrections do not help to improve the PMFEX approximation for a TCP with low ionic charge Z. But starting with Z > 5 the PMFEX model is substantially improved and the agreement with numerical simulations is excellent. We have also found that with increasing coupling the PMFEX approximation becomes invalid to predict the MFD at a neutral point while its corrected version agrees satisfactory with the simulations.