Average Atom Models for Warm Dense Matter

This workshop brings together theorists and experimentalists to discuss average atom models and their applications to the regime of warm dense matter (WDM). This regime is broadly defined as solid-state densities and elevated temperatures on the order of 10 or 100 eV. Under these conditions, quantum and ionization effects, coupling of electronic and ionic constituents, plasma excitations and to some degree also chemical bonds play a role, which makes it challenging to study this regime with theoretical and experimental methods. WDM conditions can be found in the interiors of giant planets and low mass stars. Because of its relevance to inertial confinement fusion, the regime of WDM has been intensely studied with laboratory experiments. Average atom models have been employed to aid the planning and interpretation of these measurements.

The regime of WDM has also been studied with ab initio computer simulations, which typically require substantial computational resources. On the other hand, average atom models are designed to capture the essential aspects of atomic and plasma physics at a much lower computational cost so that thousands of model calculations can be performed to match experimental conditions. Average atom models have a long history. The comparison with laboratory measurements and ab initio simulations has introduced novel developments that go far beyond the canonical Stewart-Pyatt approaches. This workshop tries to capture these new trends.

The workshop will be conducted online via Zoom. Over the course of two days, June 28 and 29, we will have a series of talks from theorists and experimentalists. Presentations will begin at 8 am PDT (17:00 CEST) and end at 12 pm PDT (21:00 CEST) while providing ample time for discussions.

This workshop is free of charge but all participants are required to register. We recommend everyone registers by June 20. We will keep the registration link active even after this date but all available slots might have been claimed by then. So please register earlier rather than later.