Shock compression and adiabatic decompression of a dense bismuth plasma at extreme thermal energy densities

Experimental results on the shock-wave compression of solid and porous bismuth samples at pressures over the range 0.4-6 Mbar are reported. The course of the supercritical decompression isentropes between a highly compressed condensed state and a low-density plasma has been determined. The experimental results are used to write a thermodynamic description of the high-energy states of a dense bismuth plasma.