A note on the metallization of compressed liquid hydrogen

We examine the molecular-atomic transition in liquid hydrogen as it relates to metallization. Pair potentials are obtained from first principles molecular dynamics and compared with potentials derived from quadratic response. The results provide insight into the nature of covalent bonding under extreme conditions. Based on this analysis, we construct a schematic dissociation-metallization phase diagram and suggest experimental approaches that should significantly reduce the pressures necessary for the realization of the elusive metallic phase of hydrogen.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure

Strongly extreme points and approximation properties

We show that if $x$ is a strongly extreme point of a bounded closed convex subset of a Banach space and the identity has a geometrically and topologically good enough local approximation at $x$, then $x$ is already a denting point. It turns out that such an approximation of the identity exists at any strongly extreme point of the unit ball of a Banach space with the unconditional compact approximation property. We also prove that every Banach space with a Schauder basis can be equivalently renormed to satisfy the sufficient conditions mentioned. In contrast to the above results we also construct a non-symmetric norm on $c_0$ for which all points on the unit sphere are strongly extreme, but none of these points are denting.Comment: 14 page

Structure and phase boundaries of compressed liquid hydrogen

We have mapped the molecular-atomic transition in liquid hydrogen using first principles molecular dynamics. We predict that a molecular phase with short-range orientational order exists at pressures above 100 GPa. The presence of this ordering and the structure emerging near the dissociation transition provide an explanation for the sharpness of the molecular-atomic crossover and the concurrent pressure drop at high pressures. Our findings have non-trivial implications for simulations of hydrogen; previous equation of state data for the molecular liquid may require revision. Arguments for the possibility of a $1^{st}$ order liquid-liquid transition are discussed

A Statistical Survey of Peculiar L and T Dwarfs in SDSS, 2MASS, and WISE

We present the final results from a targeted search for brown dwarfs with unusual near-infrared colors. From a positional cross-match of SDSS, 2MASS and WISE, we have identified 144 candidate peculiar L and T dwarfs. Spectroscopy confirms that 20 of the objects are peculiar or are candidate binaries. Nine of the 420 objects in our sample are young ($\lesssim$200 Myr; 2.1%) and another 8 (1.9%) are unusually red with no signatures of youth. With a spectroscopic $J-K_s$ color of 2.58 $\pm$ 0.11 mag, one of the new objects, the L6 dwarf 2MASS J03530419+0418193, is among the reddest field dwarfs currently known and is one of the reddest objects with no signatures of youth known to date. We have also discovered another potentially very low gravity object, the L1 dwarf 2MASS J00133470+1109403, and independently identified the young L7 dwarf 2MASS J00440332+0228112, first reported by Schneider and collaborators. Our results confirm that signatures of low gravity are no longer discernible in low to moderate resolution spectra of objects older than $\sim$200 Myr. The 1.9% of unusually red L dwarfs that do not show other signatures of youth could be slightly older, up to $\sim$400 Myr. In this case a red $J-K_s$ color may be more diagnostic of moderate youth than individual spectral features. However, its is also possible that these objects are relatively metal-rich, and so have an enhanced atmospheric dust content.Comment: 27 pages, 7 figures, 5 tables, accepted to A

The Prototypical Young L/T-Transition Dwarf HD 203030B Likely Has Planetary Mass

Upon its discovery in 2006, the young L7.5 companion to the solar analog HD 203030 was found to be unusual in being $\approx$200 K cooler than older late-L dwarfs. HD 203030B offered the first clear indication that the effective temperature at the L-to-T spectral type transition depends on surface gravity: now a well-known characteristic of low-gravity ultra-cool dwarfs. An initial age analysis of the G8V primary star indicated that the system was 130--400 Myr old, and so the companion between 12--31 $M_{\rm Jup}$. Using moderate resolution near-infrared spectra of HD 203030B, we now find features of very low gravity comparable to those of 10--150 Myr-old L7--L8 dwarfs. We also obtained more accurate near infrared and {\sl Spitzer}/IRAC photometry, and find a $(J-K)_{\rm MKO}$ color of $2.56\pm0.13$ mag---comparable to those observed in other young planetary-mass objects---and a luminosity of log($L_{\rm bol}/L_{\odot}$)$\,=\,-4.75\pm0.04$ dex. We further reassess the evidence for the young age of the host star, HD 203030, with a more comprehensive analysis of the photometry and updated stellar activity measurements and age calibrations. Summarizing the age diagnostics for both components of the binary, we adopt an age of 100 Myr for HD 203030B and an age range of 30--150 Myr. Using cloudy evolutionary models, the new companion age range and luminosity result in a mass of 11 $M_{\rm Jup}$ with a range of 8--15 $M_{\rm Jup}$, and an effective temperature of $1040\pm50$ K.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in A

Tetrahedral clustering in molten lithium under pressure

A series of electronic and structural transitions are predicted in molten lithium from first principles. A new phase with tetrahedral local order characteristic of $sp^3$ bonded materials and poor electrical conductivity is found at pressures above 150 GPa and temperatures as high as 1000 K. Despite the lack of covalent bonding, weakly bound tetrahedral clusters with finite lifetimes are predicted to exist. The stabilization of this phase in lithium involves a unique mechanism of strong electron localization in interstitial regions and interactions among core electrons. The calculations provide evidence for anomalous melting above 20 GPa, with a melting temperature decreasing below 300 K, and point towards the existence of novel low-symmetry crystalline phases.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure