An improved equation of state for hydrogen-helium mixtures at high temperatures and pressures will be developed. This will be accomplished using newly developed first principle techniques employing many body simulations (path integral Monte Carlo techniques at higher temperatures and density functional molecular dynamics at lower temperatures). The results will be applied to three outstanding problems in planetary astronomy:
1) Does Jupiter have a core and did it emerge from core accretion?
2) What are the properties of the metallic to molecular transition in hydrogen inside giant planets and how does it affect the distribution of helium?
3) What mechanism prolonged Saturn's cooling (observed to be twice as long as predicted)?
Moreover, equations of state for degenerate hydrogen-helium mixtures developed here will be critical components in models of extrasolar giant planets. These results are expected to significantly improve our ability to constrain the physical properties of these planets from transit and radial velocity data.
The final equations of state and the software to interpolate among them will be placed on the web for public use.
One post-doctoral fellow will be supported and undergraduates will be included in the research as part of a Research Experiences for Undergraduates Site program. One post-doctoral fellow will be supported and undergraduates will be included in the research as part of a Research Experiences for Undergraduates Site program.
