Evidence of a Liquid-Liquid Phase Transition Hot Dense Hydrogen

ORAL

Abstract

We use pulsed laser heating of hydrogen at static pressures in the megabar pressure region generated in a diamond anvil cell to search for the plasma phase transition (PPT) to liquid atomic metallic hydrogen. Heating the sample substantially above the melting line we observe a plateau in a temperature vs laser power curve that otherwise increases with power. This anomaly in the heating curve is closely correlated with theoretical predictions for the PPT, falling within the theoretically predicted range and having a negative slope with increasing pressure. Details will be presented.

*The NSF, grant DMR-0804378 and the DOE Stockpile Stewardship Academic Alliance program, grant DE-FG52-10NA29656 supported this research.

Authors

  • Isaac Silvera

    • Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138

  • Vasily Dzyabura

    • Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138

  • Mohamed Zaghoo

    • Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138