Ab-initio simulations of the optical properties of warm dense gold.
Using a combination of classical and ab-initio molecular dynamics simulations, we calculate the structure and the electrical conductivity of warm dense gold during the first picoseconds after a short-pulse laser illumination. We find that the ions remain in their initial fcc structure for several picoseconds, despite electron temperatures ranging from a few to several eV after the laser illumination. The electrical conductivities calculated under these nonequilibrium conditions and using the latter assumption are in remarkable agreement with recent measurements using a short-pulse laser interacting with gold thin films.
Mazevet
S
S
Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA.
Clérouin
J
J
Recoules
V
V
Anglade
P M
PM
Zerah
G
G