Multi-Configuration Calculation of Ionization Potential Depression

Abstract

The modelling of ionization potential depression in warm and hot dense plasmas constitutes a real theoretical challenge due to ionic coupling and electron degeneracy effects. In this work, we present a quantum statistical model based on a multi-configuration description of the electronic structure in the framework of Density Functional Theory. We discuss different conceptual issues inherent to the definition of ionization potential depression and compare our results with the famous and widely-used Ecker-Kröll and Stewart-Pyatt models.

Keywords

• dense plasmas
• multi-configuration calculations
• superconfigurations
• ionization potential depression
• Ecker-Kröll formula
• Stewart-Pyatt formula