Work

Nonextensive equation of state for NLTE plasmas with κ -Fermi distributed free electrons

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: A nonextensive statistical approach is developed to investigate the equations of state of partially ionized plasmas containing nonthermal free electrons. The average-atom model is adopted to simulate the plasma ionization balance, in which the κ-Fermi distribution is applied for the free electrons. We introduce a nonequilibrium kinetic temperature that consistently characterizes the electron mean kinetic energy. The κ-Fermi distribution substantially reduces the electron pressure and the average ionization degree of the plasma, which has a much more significant impact on high-Z plasmas than low-Z plasmas. This should influence the plasma hydrodynamics remarkably when nonthermal electrons are present, such as in the Hohlraum dynamics of laser-driven inertial confinement fusion.

Source: Matter and Radiation at Extremes

DOI: 10.1063/5.0337784

Authors: Jiao Sun, Xiao-Ying Han, Chen-Sheng Wu, Cong-Zhang Gao, Zheng-Feng Fan, Jun Yan

Institutions: Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Peking University

Language: English

Topic: Laser-Plasma Interactions and Diagnostics

Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: diamond

Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Applied Basic Research Foundation of Yunnan Province, Science Challenge Project

Awards: G2296640453, G3312397747, G3942458748, G5625112314, G6527309532