Propagation of solitary pressure wave through the microwave discharge region in the air at medium pressures

Abstract

Results of experiments on a propagation of a pressure wave with a shock-wave leading front through a gas region excited by a pulsed freely localized discharge of the microwave wavelength range are described. The discharge was realized in air at a pressure from 14 to 100 Torr in the focal region of a quasi-optical electromagnetic beam of the microwave wavelength range. The experiments revealed three types of interaction of the gas-dynamic pulse with the region excited by the discharge in the post-discharge mode. The specific type of interaction is defined by the initial structure of the discharge and the delay time of the gas-dynamic pulse passage through the excited region. Keywords: aerodynamics, microwave discharge, pressure wave.