Treatment of compounds and alloys in radiation hydrodynamics simulations of ablative laser loading.

Different methods were compared for constructing models of the behavior of a prototype intermetallic compound, nickel aluminide, for use in radiation hydrodynamics simulations of shock wave generation by ablation induced by laser energy. The models included the equation of state, ionization, and radiation opacity. The methods of construction were evaluated by comparing the results of simulations of an ablatively generated shock wave in a sample of the alloy. The most accurate simulations were obtained using the "constant number density" mixture model to calculate the equation of state and opacity, and Thomas-Fermi ionization. This model is consistent with that found to be most accurate for simulations of ablatively shocked elements.