Spectroscopic Study of Helium Plasmas Produced by Magnetically Driven Shock Waves

Abstract

Measurements have been made of the temperature, density, and degree of ionization of plasmas produced by Mach 30 magnetically driven shock waves in helium (ambient pressure 1 mm Hg). Simultaneous photoelectric intensity measurements of the absolute spectral intensities of HeI λ3889, HeI λ5876, HeII λ4686, and HeII λ3203 indicate temperatures of 3.7 ev, electron and ion densities ∼1017 cm−3, degree of ionization ∼99.9%, and a density ratio of ∼4 across the shock front. The estimated error is ±2% for the temperature and ±12% for the electron and ion densities. The electron density was derived independently from the width of HeII λ4686 and agreed with the photoelectric density measurement to within the experimental error for the line width, thus providing a proof of the ionization and excitation equilibrium assumption used in analyzing the absolute intensity data. Continuum intensity measurements also provided a check on the consistency of the results. The temperature calculated from the measured shock velocity using the usual Rankine-Hugoniot equations is lower by a factor of about 2, and the density ratio is higher by a factor of about 3. A plausible explanation of this discrepancy is that ultraviolet radiation emitted by the hot plasma in the arc region is absorbed in front of the shock wave.