Equation of state of solid molecularH2andD2at 5 K

Abstract
The equations of state as well as the index of refraction of solid molecular hydrogen and deuterium are measured to 37 GPa in a diamond-anvil cell. The experimental technique is given in detail. The data are fitted with an equation of state based on an effective intermolecular potential. The resulting equation of state is compared to other experimental data, showing good agreement. The critical pressure for the metal-insulator transition is predicted to be 2.8 Mbar, based on the Herzfeld criterion and our equation of state.