Electronic and ionic ordering in condensed matter plasmas

Recent progress in treating phase transitions induced by Coulomb interactions is reviewed. This is done by appealing to simple models, and in particular to the one-component plasma, with its quantum-mechanical counterpart jellium. The relevance of the phase transition, to a body-centred-cubic crystal in the classical one-component plasma, to the freezing of liquid metals Na and K is stressed. By generalizing these arguments to a two-component system, regularities in the freezing of the molten alkali halides are understandable. Sublattice disorder in superionics, driven by Coulomb forces, is then discussed. Finally, the ordering of electrons in jellium, in the limit of complete degeneracy, is considered: evidence being presented for the existence of electron liquids in molten Na and K. (author)