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Measuring the principle Hugoniot of low-density silica aerogel foam at pressures up to 160 GPa

Jordan Lee* and Peter Norreys

Robert Paddock, Matthew Oliver, Pawala Ariyathilaka, Christopher Spindloe, Donna Wyatt, and Samuel Irving

Ben Fisher and Nigel Woolsey

Stavros Bakandreas, Bruno Albertazzi, and Michel Koenig

Piotr Rączka

Takayoshi Sano

Alexis Amouretti, Naoki Yamagata, Kai Taketoshi, Kosuke Nishitani, and Norimasa Ozaki

  • York Plasma Institute, Genesis 1-5, Genesis 1&2, York Science Park, University of York, Church Lane, Heslington, York YO10 5DQ, United Kingdom

  • *Contact author: jordan.lee@physics.ox.ac.uk
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Phys. Rev. E 113, 055210 – Published 14 May, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/t226-ngw5

Abstract

Low-density foams are of significant interest in inertial confinement fusion (ICF), with potential applications as fuel carriers, ablation layers, or as a hohlraum filling material. Despite their potential, the shock response of these materials remains poorly characterized, limiting the accuracy of hydrodynamic simulations. Here we report experimental measurements of the equation of state for 90mg/cm3 silica (SiO2) aerogel foam under laser-driven shock compression, conducted at the GEKKO XII laser facility. Shock pressures between 50 and 160 GPa were achieved, and the corresponding states were determined using standard impedance-matching techniques with a quartz reference material. Initial measurements appeared to underestimate the foam shock velocity relative to predictions by the Quotidian Equation of State (QEOS) model. Experimental diagnostics indicated the presence of a vacuum gap between the reference material and the foam. The vacuum gaps were characterized, and one-dimensional radiation-hydrodynamic simulations were conducted to estimate their impact on the measured shock velocity. After applying simulation-based corrections, the experimental Hugoniot aligns closely with QEOS predictions, supporting the model's applicability to low-density foams.

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Corrections

3 June, 2026

Correction: The name of the 11th author was misspelled and has been fixed.

Article Text

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Outline

Information

Phys. Rev. E 113, 055210– Published 14 May, 2026
  • Received 3 August 2025
  • Accepted 17 April 2026
  • Corrected 3 June 2026
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