<title>Optical Properties Of Explosive-Driven Shock Waves In Noble Gases</title>

Abstract

High explosives have been used to shock-heat rare gases to brightness temperatures up to 36 000 K, with large radiating areas. Temperatures were determined from radiometer signals at both 280 and 520 nm. Shock velocities up to 9 mm/ps were used in both plane and cylindrical geometries. Neon, argon, krypton, and xenon gases at atmospheric initial pressure were examined in plane shocks. Using argon, the effects of increased initial pressure were studied. For cylindrical shock expansion in argon, brightness temperatures were measured over a range of shock velocities from 3 to 9 mm/ps. Up to 4% of the explosive energy was emitted as radiation. The shock waves are found to be reasonable approximations to black-bodies.