Electrostatic Diagnostics of High-Pressure Plasma,
Abstract
Considerable interest has been generated in the measurements of reentry plasma parameters because of the communication blackout produced by the plasma surrounding a reentry vehicle. An electrostatic probe is well suited for such diagnostics because of its simplicity, ruggedness, spatial resolution, and ease of interpretation of measurements. The present work is concerned with a plane electrostatic probe diagnosis of a flowing, argon jet plasma with an electron temperature ranging from about 6000 - 8000K and an electron density in the range (10 to the 13th power - 10 to the 15th power/cc). The present work also deals with the analysis of two possible theories to describe the operation of the probe: a free fall theory and a continuum theory. Analysis of the experimental results indicates that the continuum theory for a plane electrostatic probe as developed by Su and Kiel (1966) is valid in the plasma tested.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1974
- Accession Number
- ADA013938
Entities
People
- P. W. Chan
- R. J. Churchill
- Robert C. Hazelton
Organizations
- Colorado State University