Project Title: Modifications of Bound States due to a Dense Plasma Environment

Supervisor: Dr. Dirk Gericke

Electrostatic potentials in dense plasmas are screened by the presence of free charge carriers. This screening can alter the wavefunctions and energies of any bound states associated with the potential. In the case of ionic potentials, this leads to a reduction in ionization energies known as ionization potential depression (IPD) or as continuum lowering. Ionization potential depression can significantly alter the predicted charge state distribution in a plasma, and thereby, the wider properties of the plasma. Good models for ionization potential depression are therefore important if we are to correctly predict the behaviour of dense plasmas.