Research on Advanced Gasdynamic Test Facilities. Part Ii. Laser-Fluid Interaction Studies

摘要

The report describes experimental and theoretical studies conducted on the application of lasers to aerodynamic facilities. The experimental program is concerned with the response of a gas to a high-intensity ruby laser beam. The primary diagnostic tools are high-speed streak cameras and x-ray emission monitors. Experiments were performed in both a spatially uniform gas and in a free-jet expansion. In the latter configuration, fast moving fronts of bright luminosity are propagated back into the high-density reservoir by the absorption of the laser energy. The theoretical effort was concerned with describing the types of fluid responses to laser energy addition through both analytical and numerical analysis. (Author)