Unveiling structural effects on the DC conductivity of warm dense matter via terahertz spectroscopy and ultrafast electron diffraction
Understanding how materials under far-from-equilibrium conditions conduct electricity is vital for modeling planetary interiors, fusion energy, and other high-energy-density environments. Yet direct measurements of electrical conductivity in these states are challenging, as experiments must capture changes in both electronic conditions and atomic arrangement. Here we show, using laser-heated aluminum films, how the electrical conductivity of materials driven to the warm dense matter regime is influenced by temperature and structure. By directly measuring the electrical conductivity using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy and observing the atomic arrangement using mega-electron-volt ultrafast electron diffraction studies, we separate the impact of these different contributions on the observed sharp drop in the conductivity after laser heating. This approach is broadly applicable for measuring the electrical conductivity of matter laser heated to high-energy-density conditions. Our results are used to benchmark leading theoretical models and highlight the importance of accurately treating both electron and ion dynamics.
Authors
- Mianzhen Mo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2962-0815)
- Edna R. Toro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8868-4325)
- Andrew Baczewski (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8553-9934)
- L. B. Fletcher (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7120-7194)
- Adrien Descamps (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1708-6376)
- Xiaozhe Shen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6844-608X)
- Jochen Schein (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8025-7660)
- S. H. Glenzer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9112-0558)
- Mitsuei IKEYA (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-3184-915X)
- Anthea Weinmann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-7219-1949)
- Benjamin K. Ofori-Okai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0737-6786)
- Stephanie B. Hansen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1886-9770)
- Xijie Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3324-4709)
- E. E. McBride (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8821-6126)
- D. B. Brown (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3369-6898)
- Zhijiang Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2546-7075)
- Jie Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5115-2413)
Institutions
- Queen's University Belfast (GB)
- TU Dortmund University (DE)
- SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (US)
- Universität der Bundeswehr München (DE)
- Sandia National Laboratories (US)
- University of Duisburg-Essen (DE)
- Stanford University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2025-11-26
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-65559-5
- Primary Topic
- Laser-Plasma Interactions and Diagnostics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Science Foundation
- U.S. Department of Energy
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
- Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung
- Office of Science
- Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems
- Sandia National Laboratories
- SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory