Accurate Temperature Diagnostics for Matter under Extreme Conditions

TL;DR

This paper introduces a straightforward, approximation-free method for accurately determining the temperature of complex materials under extreme conditions from scattering experiments, enhancing research in astrophysics, fusion, and material science.

Contribution

A novel method that allows direct temperature extraction from scattering data without simulations or deconvolution, applicable to complex warm dense matter.

Findings

Method is approximation-free and straightforward to implement.

Enables precise temperature diagnostics in extreme conditions.

Applicable to various experimental setups in plasma physics and astrophysics.

Abstract

The experimental investigation of matter under extreme densities and temperatures as they occur for example in astrophysical objects and nuclear fusion applications constitutes one of the most active frontiers at the interface of material science, plasma physics, and engineering. The central obstacle is given by the rigorous interpretation of the experimental results, as even the diagnosis of basic parameters like the temperature T is rendered highly difficult by the extreme conditions. In this work, we present a simple, approximation-free method to extract the temperature of arbitrarily complex materials from scattering experiments, without the need for any simulations or an explicit deconvolution. This new paradigm can be readily implemented at modern facilities and corresponding experiments will have a profound impact on our understanding of warm dense matter and beyond, and open up a gamut of appealing possibilities in the context of thermonuclear fusion, laboratory astrophysics, and related disciplines.