Uniform electron gas at warm, dense matter conditions

Abstract

A simple, practical model for computing the equilibrium thermodynamics and structure of the uniform electron gas (jellium) by classical strong-coupling methods is proposed. Conditions addressed are those of interest for recent studies of warm dense matter: solid densities and temperatures from zero to plasma states. An effective pair potential and coupling constant are introduced, incorporating the ideal gas, low density, and weak-coupling quantum limits. The resulting parameter-free, analytic model is illustrated by the calculation of the pair correlation function via strong-coupling classical liquid state theory. The results compare favorably with the first finite-temperature restricted path integral Monte Carlo simulations reported recently.