Interaction of pulsed metal vapor plasma with insulator wall

Abstract

An experimental method is proposed to investigate the radiation emitted from the boundary layer, which is formed near the insulator wall. This experimental method consists of a fast-pulsed exploding aluminum wire set initially on the low-density polyethylene (LDPE) flat wall. Various phases of brightness and darkness between the narrow bright aluminum vapor plasma and the surface of the LDPE have been observed. It was observed that a formed dark layer moves away from the LDPE surface according to the released input energy. The shape of the formed layer was affected by both the interaction with the insulator wall and the electrodes. The radial reflected visible light by the insulator wall consists of two different expansion velocities showing a cooling of the vapor plasma source and an enhancement in the radiation emitted from the formed layer. Two phases have been observed in the temporal behavior of the intensity of the aluminum and the carbon atoms lines showing an enhancement during the collisionless interaction regime. The photoablation process of the LDPE wall occurred during the plateau observed in the intensity shape of the carbon atom line which match with both the observed peak value in the emitted UV radiation and the framing picture taken at 200 ns.