Molecular Energy Transfer Processes in Nonequilibrium Hypersonic Flows

Abstract

Newly developed Cavity Ring Down Spectroscopy (CRDS) and Tunable Diode Laser Spectroscopy (TDLAS) have been employed for absolute time-resolved populations of N2 in the excited A3u+ electronic state, generated in a repetitive ns pulse discharge in nitrogen. CRDS measurements of N2(A3u+,v=0-2) populations are made in the discharge afterglow at pressures of 22 and 39 Torr. The data reduction procedure takes into account the linewidth of the pulsed laser source, which is comparable with the absorption linewidth and results in a non-single exponential ring down decay. Peak N2(A3u+,v=0-2) populations after a 10-pulse ns discharge burst are in the range of 1012 - 1013 cm-3. In the afterglow, these populations exhibit a relatively slow decay with the characteristic time of approximately 500 s, most likely due to the quenching by N atoms. TDLAS data have been taken at a higher pressure of 132 Torr. Absolute time-resolved N2(A3u+,v=0,1) number densities are measured during ns pulse discharge bursts up to 5 pulses long and in the afterglow, peaking at 61012 cm-3 and 31013 cm-3, respectively. The results indicate thatN2(A3u+) is generated after every discharge pulse on a 20-50 s time scale, much longer compared to the discharge pulse duration of ~100 ns, and subsequently decays between the pulses. The decay rate increases during the discharge burst. In the afterglow, N2(A3u+,v=0,1) population decay significantly more rapidly compared to the low pressure CRDS conditions, with the characteristic time of approximately 160 s after a 5-pulse discharge burst. Absolute, time-resolved populations of N2(A3u+,v=0-5) vibrational levels in high-pressure ns pulse discharge plasmas are measured by Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy (TDLAS). The diffuse plasma is generated by a repetitively pulsed, double dielectric barrier, ns discharge across a 10 mm gap in a plane-to-plane geometry, at pressures of up to 400 Torr.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 11, 2022
Accession Number
AD1231104

Entities

People

  • Igor Adamovich

Organizations

  • Ohio State University

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Molecular Photonics/Laser Physics
  • Optical Physics and Photonics.
  • Plasma Physics.

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy
  • Directed Energy - Lasers
  • Hypersonics
  • Hypersonics - Hypersonic Flight
  • Hypersonics - Hypersonic Flow
  • Microelectronics