Laser-Shock Compression and Hugoniot Measurements of Liquid Hydrogen to 55 GPa

TL;DR

This study measured the principal Hugoniot of liquid hydrogen up to 55 GPa using laser-driven shocks, providing valuable experimental data for testing condensed matter theories.

Contribution

First experimental determination of liquid hydrogen's Hugoniot up to 55 GPa using laser shock compression and impedance matching techniques.

Findings

Hydrogen reaches higher compression and temperature than deuterium at the same pressure.

Hugoniot data serve as a benchmark for theoretical models of condensed matter.

Shock temperature was independently measured from shock front brightness.

Abstract

The principal Hugoniot for liquid hydrogen was obtained up to 55 GPa under laser-driven shock loading. Pressure and density of compressed hydrogen were determined by impedance-matching to a quartz standard. The shock 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.