Model-free Rayleigh weight from x-ray Thomson scattering measurements
X-ray Thomson scattering (XRTS) has emerged as a powerful tool for the diagnostics of matter under extreme conditions. In principle, it gives one access to important system parameters such as the temperature, density, and ionization state, but the interpretation of the measured XRTS intensity usually relies on theoretical models and approximations. In this context, a key property is given by the Rayleigh weight that describes the electronic localization around the ions. Here, we show that it is possible to extract the Rayleigh weight directly from the experimental data without the need for any model calculations or simulations. As a practical application, we consider an experimental measurement of strongly compressed Be at the National Ignition Facility [Döppner et al., Nature 618, 270–275 (2023)]. We demonstrate that experimental results for the Rayleigh weight open up new avenues for the interpretation of XRTS experiments by matching the measurement with ab initio simulations such as density functional theory or path integral Monte Carlo. Interestingly, this new procedure leads to significantly lower density compared to previously used chemical models.
Authors
- Sebastian Schwalbe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4561-0158)
- Maximilian Schörner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7925-8917)
- L. B. Fletcher (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7120-7194)
- Sébastien Hamel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4246-0892)
- Jan Vorberger (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5926-9192)
- Tobias Dornheim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7293-6615)
- T. Döppner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5703-7125)
- R. Redmer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3440-863X)
- Thomas R. Preston (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1228-2263)
- P. Tolias (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9632-8104)
- Maximilian Böhme (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0290-3628)
- M. J. MacDonald (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6295-6978)
- D. O. Gericke (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6797-9004)
- D. Kraus (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6350-4180)
- Mandy Bethkenhagen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1838-2129)
- Stephanie B. Hansen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1886-9770)
- Zhandos A. Moldabekov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9725-9208)
- Thomas Gawne (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9998-3606)
- Hannah M. Bellenbaum (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-6530-1017)
Institutions
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (US)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- École Polytechnique (FR)
- Université Sorbonne Nouvelle (FR)
- Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (FR)
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (DE)
- SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (US)
- University of Warwick (GB)
- Sorbonne Université (FR)
- Laboratoire pour l'Utilisation des Lasers Intenses (FR)
- Sandia National Laboratories (US)
- Center for Advanced Systems Understanding (DE)
- University of Rostock (DE)
- KTH Royal Institute of Technology (SE)
- European X-Ray Free-Electron Laser (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Physics of Plasmas
- Published
- 2025-05-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0238630
- Citations
- 13
- Primary Topic
- High-pressure geophysics and materials
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 24.26
Funders
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
- National Nuclear Security Administration
- Fusion Energy Sciences
- Laboratory Directed Research and Development
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
- SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
- HORIZON EUROPE European Research Council