Spectroscopic Studies of Barium Releases.

Abstract

Optical observations following the release of barium vapor at high altitudes can be described in terms of three phases. The first, lasting of the order of a second, is the initial release and expansion of a neutral barium cloud. The second is the ionization phase that can take from 3 to 100 sec, depending on release altitude and size. The remaining history is characterized by the development of striations in the ion cloud and of a tail joining the ion and neutral clouds. Observations of each of the above phases with various optical instruments showed the ionization mechanism to be vvia metastable levels, and experiments were conducted which led to a more detailed description of the processes involved. (Author)

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Nov 12, 1970
Accession Number
AD0717695

Entities

People

  • Gordon T. Best
  • Norman W. Rosenberg

Organizations

  • Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratories

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Altitude
  • High Altitude
  • Ionization
  • Observation
  • Optical Instruments
  • Striations

Readers

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics.
  • Plasma Physics.