The Post-Shock Nonequilibrium Relaxation in a Hypersonic Plasma Flow Involving Reflection off a Thermal Discontinuity

Abstract

The evolution in the post-shock nonequilibrium relaxation in a hypersonic plasma flow was investigated during a shock’s reflection off a thermal discontinuity. It was found that within a transitional period, the relaxation zone parameters past both the reflected and transmitted waves evolve differently compared to that in the incident wave. In a numerical example for the non-dissociating N2 gas heated to 5000 K/10,000 K across the interface and M = 3.5, the relaxation time determined for the transmitted wave is up to 50% shorter and the relaxation depth for both waves is significantly reduced, thus resulting in a weakened wave structure. The results of the extension into larger values of heating strength and the shock Mach numbers are discussed. The findings can be useful in the areas of research involving strong shocks interacting with optical discharges or other heated media on the scale where the shock structure becomes important.