The first consistent calculation of the plasmon linewidth and frequency shift due to the electron-ion density correlations is presented for dense plasmas, relevant to inertial-confinement fusion and astrophysics, in which electrons are strongly degenerate. It is found that the plasmons in the dense matter are strongly damped, so that a substantial absorption is expected near the plasmon line; the frequency shift, on the other hand, turns out to be relatively small.

• Received 29 June 1982

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.49.1932