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Thermal equilibration behind an ionizing shock

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2006

H. Wong
Affiliation:
Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Stanford University Present address: Lockheed Palo Alto Research Laboratory.
D. Bershader
Affiliation:
Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Stanford University

Abstract

The physical mechanisms underlying the relaxation process leading to thermal equilibrium behind ionizing shock waves in argon have been studied through use of optical techniques. The non-equilibrium condition in the relaxation region was investigated experimentally by measuring the shift in the fringes due to a change in the refractive index of the medium with a Mach–Zehnder interferometer. Both electron- and mass-density profiles from the shock front to the equilibrium region were determined. The experimental work has been supplemented by a theoretical analysis of the ionization mechanism to explain the measured profiles and relaxation times.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 1966 Cambridge University Press

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