The One Component Plasma Model
The One-Component Plasma model, or more simply “the OCP,” is a reference model in the study of strongly coupled Coulomb systems that plays a conceptual role similar to that filled by the hard-sphere model in the theory of neutral fluids.
The OCP consists of a system of identical, electrically charged point particles interacting exclusively through the Coulomb potential and immersed in a rigid, uniform background of opposite charge to ensure overall charge neutrality.
The particle dynamics is governed by the laws of classical non-relativistic mechanics (the quantum counterpart of the OCP is called the “jellium model” and is used as a first approximation to the conduction electron fluid in metals and dense plasmas, ignoring the details of the underlying discrete ionic subsystem).
A single parameter
A very attractive feature of the OCP is that its physical properties in or near equilibrium can be fully characterized by a single dimensionless parameter, the so-called "Coulomb coupling parameter"'
The Phase Diagram
This structure is characteristic of a dilute gas phase.
Particle dynamics
[Image diagram spans vertically to include each bullet]
Effect of particle dynamics on transport properties: shear viscosity
In a fluid, transport of momentum occurs not only by the bodily movement of particles but also by the action of interaction forces at a distance.
