A DYNAMIC DENSITY FUNCTIONAL THEORY APPROACH TO DIFFUSION IN WHITE DWARFS AND NEUTRON STAR ENVELOPES

ABSTRACT We develop a multicomponent hydrodynamic model based on moments of the Born-Bogolyubov-Green-Kirkwood-Yvon hierarchy equations for physical conditions relevant to astrophysical plasmas. These equations incorporate strong correlations through a density functional theory closure, while transport enters through a relaxation approximation. This approach enables the introduction of Coulomb coupling correction terms into the standard Burgers equations. The diffusive currents for these strongly coupled plasmas is self-consistently derived. The settling of impurities and its impact on cooling can be greatly affected by strong Coulomb coupling, which we show can be quantified using the direct correlation function.