Density dependence of electron mean-free paths from low to high energies

The mean-free path of an electron scattering inelastically in a degenerate electron gas at zero temperature has been calculated, using the dielectric function/self-energy formalism of Ritchie [Phys. Rev. 114, 644 (1959)]. The objective of this work is to model accurately the mean-free path as a function of photoelectron energy and density for use in the calculation of extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) [Rev. Mod. Phys. 53, 1 (1981)] of fluids and plasmas whose structure can be described by a radial distribution function. Results are compared with proposed universal mean-free path formulas and it is found that a more generalized version of a power law provides an adequate fit. A table of the best-fit parameters of this law at a range of densities of interest for the EXAFS colliding shock experiments on foil targets is presented