Capturing many-body effects in electrical conductivity of warm dense matter

TL;DR

This paper introduces a many-body framework using the GW approximation to improve electrical conductivity models in warm dense matter, revealing significant effects on conductivity predictions.

Contribution

It presents a novel many-body approach for conductivity calculations that accounts for electron-electron interactions more accurately than previous models.

Findings

Improved transition energies significantly reduce low-temperature conductivity.

Electron-electron scattering mainly reduces high-temperature conductivity.

The framework enhances the understanding of conductivity in warm dense matter.

Abstract

Conductivity models for warm dense matter inform simulations of planetary structure and fusion experiments. State-of-the-art conductivity calculations based on density functional theory approximate many-body physics and neglect electron-electron scattering lifetimes. We introduce a many-body framework for electrical conductivity using the GW approximation of the electronic self-energy. For beryllium, improved transition energies yield a surprisingly large reduction in low-temperature DC conductivity, while electron-electron scattering primarily reduces high-temperature DC conductivity.