Electron Density Measurements at High Pressures

Measurements of the electron density in the flow produced by high velocity shock waves in air at initial pressures of 5 torr and 10 torr have been performed in an electromagnetic shock tube. The current collected by flush-mounted probes mounted in the wall of a rectangular cross section shock tube w...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Rudderow,William H
Format: Report
Language:English
Subjects:
ATMOSPHERE ENTRY
Atmospheric Physics
CURVE FITTING
DIAGNOSIS(GENERAL)
ELECTROMAGNETIC PROBES
ELECTRON DENSITY
ELECTROSTATIC PROBES
GRAPHICS
HIGH PRESSURE
HYPERSONIC FLOW
IONIC CURRENT
MEASUREMENT
Plasma Physics and Magnetohydrodynamics
PLASMAS(PHYSICS)
SHOCK WAVES
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Summary:Measurements of the electron density in the flow produced by high velocity shock waves in air at initial pressures of 5 torr and 10 torr have been performed in an electromagnetic shock tube. The current collected by flush-mounted probes mounted in the wall of a rectangular cross section shock tube were used to deduce the electron density. Measurements were performed where the probes were biased to collect either ion current or electron current, and a simple theory was used to describe the probe characteristics. The flow conditions surrounding the probe were computed with engineering approximations of the wall boundary layer. A comparison of the measured results and the predicted values agree within a factor of two. Additional measurements of the current collected by a stagnation point electrostatic probe were also performed. Using simple theories, the measured electron density agrees with theoretical predictions within a factor of three. (Author)