Link between K absorption edges and thermodynamic properties of warm dense plasmas established by an improved first-principles method

A precise calculation that translates shifts of x-ray K absorption edges to variations of thermodynamic properties allows quantitative characterization of interior thermodynamic properties of warm dense plasmas by x-ray absorption techniques, which provides essential information for inertial confinement fusion and other astrophysical applications. We show that this interpretation can be achieved through an improved first-principles method. Our calculation shows that the shift of K edges exhibits selective sensitivity to thermal parameters and thus would be a suitable temperature index to warm dense plasmas. We also show with a simple model that the shift of K edges can be used to detect inhomogeneity inside warm dense plasmas when combined with other experimental tools.