Collisional Aspects of the Avco Experiment.
Abstract
The gross features of the 45 mtorr Avco experiment with and without an applied magnetic field can be explained by the difference between a momentum snowplow and an energy conserving shock. The initial ionization of the air appears to be very low. With no applied field, the ionization apparently remains low, the shock is dominated by atom-atom and ion-atom collisions, and the UV radiation loss is relatively small, yielding an energy conserving shock. With a 200 gauss applied field, the ionization apparently is rapid in the shock front, leading to large ion-electron collisional heat transfer and associated UV losses, thereby producing a momentum snowplow. The details of how the magnetic field induces rapid ionization are not clear. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1972
- Accession Number
- AD0745374
Entities
People
- Ralph W. Kilb