Observation of metallic conductivity in liquid carbon

Abstract

We report the temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity of carbon at atmospheric pressure and temperatures up to and above the melting point at 4450\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}100 K. Vapor-grown graphite fibers of different crystalline perfection were heated with 28-\ensuremath{\mu}sec electrical pulses. We also measure the transient reflectivity of graphite irradiated with picosecond laser pulses and find evidence for nonequilibrium heating. We conclude that liquid carbon is metallic with a nearly temperature-independent electrical resistivity of 30\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}8 \ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\Omega}\ensuremath{\cdot}dm.