  We present a model for the rate of temperature relaxation between electrons
and ions in plasmas. The model includes self-consistently the effects of
particle screening, electron degeneracy and correlations between electrons and
ions. We successfully validate the model over a wide range of plasma coupling
against molecular-dynamics simulations of classical plasma of like-charged
electrons and ions. We present calculations of the relaxation rates in dense
hydrogen and show that, while electron-ion correlation effects are
indispensable in classical, like-charged plasmas at any density and
temperature, quantum diffraction effects prevail over e-i correlation effects
in dense hydrogen plasmas.
