https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2003-00020-0
LOCV calculation for the uniform electron fluid at finite temperature
1
Physics Department, Tehran University, 14394 Tehran
Iran ()
2
Center for Theoretical Physics and Mathematics, AEOI, PO Box 11365-8486,
Tehran, Iran
3
(IPM) Institute for Studies in Theoretical Physics and Mathematics,
Tehran, Iran
Corresponding author: a modarres@khayam.ut.ac.ir
Received:
15
April
2002
Revised:
19
October
2002
Published online:
4
February
2003
The free energy of the homogeneous electron fluid at finite temperature is obtained using the lowest order constrained variational (LOCV) method. In order to test the convergence of cluster expansion series the three-body cluster terms are calculated with the LOCV correlation functions. The results agree reasonably with those of Monte Carlo, coupled-cluster, perturbational expansion etc, techniques at zero temperature. The flashing and critical temperatures as well as the critical exponent are found to be about 0.6, 1.3 eV and 0.384 respectively. A similar liquid-gas phase transition to that of nuclear matter and liquid He3 is observed.
PACS: 64.70.Fx – Liquid-vapor transitions / 71.10.-w – Theories and models of many-electron systems / 71.10.Ca – Electron gas, Fermi gas / 64.60.Fr – Equilibrium properties near critical points, critical exponents
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag, 2003
