Published on Nature Communications an experimental study on the resistivity of brown dwarf-like astrophysical matter. The sample, irradiated by ultraintense laser light, is heated rapidly due to the ohmic effect of return electron currents established in the sample to balance the intense fast electron current activated by the laser irradiation. Polarization of fluorescence X-ray emission from the bulk of the sample is measured to infer the anisotropy of electron speed distribution. Comparison with theory shows a higher resistivity than expected from current models of resistivity of warm dense matter typical of brown dwarf. The experiment was carried out at the Central Laser Facility of the RAL (UK) by an international team of researchers, including four researchers from the ILIL Lab of the INO-Pisa.

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