Transition from gas-kinetic to minimal metal-type conductivity in a supercritical fluid of metal vapor

Abstract

We have proposed a peculiar model of the plasma of dense metal vapors, containing atoms embedded into the electron jelly, as well as free (thermally ionized) electrons and ions. The main feature of the model is the presence of the electron jelly existing at any density of the atomic component. The number of electrons in the jelly increases under compression. The process of its formation can be called the “cold” ionization, or pressure ionization. The composition of the gas–plasma mixture, including the concentration of atoms and electrons in the jelly, as well as the concentration of free thermally ionized electrons and ions, has been calculated. The conductivity of dense vapors is determined by the sum of the conductivities of thermal electrons (which is calculated using the Frost formula) and jelly electrons (which is calculated by the Regel–Ioffe formula for the minimal metal-type conductivity). The concentration of thermal electrons decreases and the concentration of jelly electrons increases upon compression of the vapor. Accordingly, the conductivity varies from the conductivity of thermal electrons to the conductivity of jelly electrons, continuously passing through the minimum. The calculated values of the conductivity of supercritical metal vapors are in satisfactory agreement with experimental results.