Nuclear Quantum Effects of Hot Dense Hydrogens

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The exact mechanism of metallization for LMH is a key long-standing question of extreme condensed matter physics. Most transport measurements of LMH rely on the optical conductivity. Direct measurements of thermal conductivity have not been made, instead relying on the optical conductivity and the Wiedemann-Franz law. Key questions to be investigated are how fluid hydrogen proceeds from an insulating molecular phase into a metallic phase, what roles, if any, nuclear quantum effects play, and how the properties of LMH play into dynamo field generation. This project will provide a versatile laboratory for novel material property measurements with an unrivaled range of high pressure and temperature conditions that can explore the governing rules of physics. This will lead to a discovery of a potential liquid superconductor.