Onsager molecules: New theory for interacting charge clusters and screening potentials in plasmas

Abstract

The high-density solution of the hypernetted-chain equations for charge-cluster plasmas, as mapped on the Onsager charge-smearing optimization, defines ‘‘Onsager molecules.’’ These are natural generalizations of the ion-sphere (Thomas-Fermi) ‘‘atom.’’ The self-energy of these molecules and their dissociation properties provide the key for the first accurate calculation of the screening potentials in fluid classical plasmas.