EXPLOSIVE HIGH-POWER CONTINUOUS SPECTRUM

LIGHT SOURCE

Yu. N. Kiselev and B. D. Khristoforov UDC 535.89+ 535.21

E x p l o s i v e light s o u r c e s have been developed [1, 2] with r a d i a t i o n flux density incident at the t a r g e t
up to 10 ~ W / e m 2. In t h e s e devices the r a d i a t o r was the c u m u l a t i v e c h a r g e of a shock wave excited by an e x -
plosion, p r o p a g a t i n g in a channel with walls exploding or reflecting light. In the p r e s e n t device an explosive
c o m p r e s s o r (Fig. 1), developed by Voitenko [3-6] is u s e d as a light s o u r c e . The c o m p r e s s o r is filled with
neon at a t m o s p h e r i c p r e s s u r e and produces r a d i a t i o n flux densities up to 10 ~ W / c m 2,
The dural s h o c k plate driven by the products of the
explosion c o m p r e s s e s the neon in the s p h e r i c a l s e g m e n t .
The gas c u r r e n t s , having a velocity at the wall c l o s e to
2 I ' the phase velocity of the shock plate point of contact with
the s p h e r i c a l s e g m e n t , collide with the top of the s e g m e n t
\" J and exit into the tube in the f o r m of a dens e h i g h - t e m p e r a -
ture p l a s m a , exciting a s t r o n g shock wave in the gas in
the tube. In [4,5], using a tube with d i a m e t e r 5 m m avd
air and xenon at a t m o s p h e r i c p r e s s u r e , s h o c k - w a v e
velocities of 43 and 37 k m / s e c w e r e r e c o r d e d . It was
shown in [4] that with i n c r e a s e in tube d i a m e t e r f r o m 5
to 25 m m , s h o c k - w a v e velocity is r e d u c e d by a f a c t o r of
1,5. F o r effective utilization of the s h o c k - w a v e radiation
it is n e c e s s a r y to i n c r e a s e both the velocity and the s u r -
face a r e a , d e t e r m i n e d by the tube d i a m e t e r , since the
r a d i a n t flux dens ity @ on a t a r g e t on the tube axis is
equal to [1]
%
= ~oR2/(R2+x2),
Fig. 1. Schematic d i a g r a m of e x p e r i m e n t a l
a p p a r a t u s . 1) Detonator; 2) explosive lens, where ~0 is the flax density f r o m the front, R the tube
180 g TG 5 0 / 5 0 and 120 g benzoic acid; 3) radius, and x the f r o n t - t a r g e t d i s t a n c e . O p t i m a l p a r a m -
c h a r g e , 100 g TG 5 0 / 5 0 , 0 = 1A g / c m a ; 4) e t e r s for the explosive device, s a t i s f y i n g these c o n t r a -
c h a r g e , 600 g hexogene, p = 1.71 g / c m 3 ; 5) d i c t o r y r e q u i r e m e n t s , w e r e d e t e r m i n e d by a s p e c i a l
s h o c k plate, 2 - m m - t h i c k dural; 6) dural s p h e r - s e r i e s of e x p e r i m e n t s and a r e p r e s e n t e d in Fig. 1. In a
ical s e g m e n t ; 7) g l a s s tube, wall thickness t 0 - r a m tube the m a x i m u m s h o c k - w a v e velocities w e r e
1.5 ram; 8) g l a s s window; 9) m i r r o r . r e c o r d e d for neon, D = 62 k m / s e c , with a 2 3 - r a m - d i a m -
e t e r tube producing about 43 k m / s e c with a mean v e l o c i t y
TABLE 1 of about 30 k m / s e c at a length of 10 c m .
Gas
Parameter I-Xe Neon was chosen as the working s u b s t a n c e b e c a u s e
Kr IAr t Ne I He
of its high ionization potential I = 21.5 eV, s i n c e [7, 8]
I, eV i2, I I4 II5,7t21.5 24,6 radiation f r o m the front is c l o s e to that of an absolute
¢o, row/cm~ 20,0 30 t42,0/115,0 140.0 black body up to quantum e n e r g i e s equal to the ionization
D, km/sec t2,0 14 122,0! 32.0 55.0 potential of the g a s . Quanta of h i g h e r e n e r g y a r e a b -
s o r b e d in the gas and do not r e a c h the light r e c e i v e r . The
gas in front of the s h o c k w a v e then b e c o m e s heated and
s c r e e n s the r a d i a t i o n .
T r a n s l a t e d f r o m F i z i k a G o r e n i y a i V z r y v a , Vol. "10, No. 1, pp. 116-119, J a n u a r y - F e b r u a r y , 1974.
Original article submitted June 18, 1973.

© 1975PlenumPublishing Corporation, 227 West 17th Street, New York, N. Y. 10011. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
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i01
 7.s',oK a

¢2~
0 --

fO

Fig. 2. Brightness t e m p e r a t u r e of shock waves in neon (a) (points, ex-

p e r i m e n t ; continuous line, neon shock adiabat); (b), shock wave photo-
c h r o n o g r a m (above, o b s e r v a t i o n f r o m side; below, f r o m tube face).

~, mW/crn2 Table 1 shows m a x i m u m calculated light flux densities r a d i a -

ted before the onset of s c r e e n i n g in various i n e r t g a s e s as a func-
tion of s h o c k wave velocity, tt was a s s u m e d that the shock wave
I :
I12 ~
radiates like a black body for quanta with e n e r g y below the ioniza-
tion potential. Shock adiabats for the g a s e s p r e s e n t e d in [9] were
40 . . . . I i utilized. Flux densities of 10 ~ W / c m ~ can be obtained by use of neon
and helium at s h o c k - w a v e velocities of 30 and 50 k m / s e c , r e s p e c -
i
tively. Since i n c r e a s e in s h o c k - w a v e velocity leads to reduction in

3
f_ /Jl , ij
2 .~
the duration of the radiation, neon was chosen as the working s u b -
stance.
~, g s e c

Fig. 3. Calculated radiation flux In developing the s o u r c e , during each e x p e r i m e n t s h o c k - w a v e

densities at t a r g e t s located 75 velocity in the tube and the brightness t e m p e r a t u r e distribution o v e r
m m (E = 31 J / c m 2) (1) and 90 the d i a m e t r a l section of the front were d e t e r m i n e d s i m u l t a n e o u s l y
m m (E = 35 J / c m 2) (2) f r o m b e - by optical methods [9-11]. Brightness t e m p e r a t u r e was d e t e r m i n e d
ginning of tube. by photometric c o m p a r i s o n of densities on the film of an SFR-2M
p h o t o r e c o r d e r of exposures to the s h o c k - w a v e radiation and the
radiation f r o m an EV-39 r e f e r e n c e s o u r c e , operating as a black body with a t e m p e r a t u r e of 39.00 • 2000°K
in the s p e c t r a l range 400-600 nm. P h o t o g r a p h y was p e r f o r m e d with a blue filter with effective wavelength
432 nm and half width 20 rim.
In photographing the r e f e r e n c e s o u r c e , a s t e p - t y p e attenuator was installed in front of the film at the
focus of the S F R - 2 M r e c o r d e r , and exposures were made at fully open a p e r t u r e and at the s a m e a p e r t u r e
at which the s h o c k - w a v e radiation was r e c o r d e d . The t r a c e s then contained the entire density range ex-
pected in photographing the shock front at a t e m p e r a t u r e higher than the r e f e r e n c e . Relative e r r o r in
m e a s u r e m e n t of brightness t e m p e r a t u r e o v e r the r a n g e 40,000-140,000°K v a r i e d f r o m 7 to 12%.
In s o m e experiments the brightness t e m p e r a t u r e along the n o r m a l and at an angle of 45 ° to the front
w e r e m e a s u r e d s i m u l t a n e o u s l y , which p e r m i t t e d detection of s c r e e n i n g of the front radiation [11] f r o m their
difference, and also d e t e r m i n a t i o n of the front velocity to an a c c u r a c y of ~=3% f r o m the slope of the image
at 45°.
Brightness t e m p e r a t u r e as a function of neon s h o c k - w a v e velocity in a 23-ram tube and a p h o t o c h r o n -
o g r a m of the e x p e r i m e n t a r e shown in Fig. 2a,b. Since the shock wave is not planar and various portions
propagate at different velocities b e c a u s e of inhomogeneities of the p l a s m a piston and the effect of the walls.
Fig. 2 p r e s e n t s the velocities of the m o s t rapid portions of the front and the c o r r e s p o n d i n g maximum
brightness t e m p e r a t u r e v a l u e s .
A g r e e m e n t exists between the e x p e r i m e n t a l data and the calculated neon shock adiabat up to D = 43
k m / s e c . Brightness t e m p e r a t u r e s of about 140,000°K were r e c o r d e d . T e m p e r a t u r e s m e a s u r e d at various
angles to the front coincide with a wave velocity r a n g e up to 43 k m / s e c , which indicates the absence of
s c r e e n i n g , which, according to calculations, should c o m m e n c e at front velocities g r e a t e r than 32 k i n / s e e .

102
 The absence of screening is evidently due to the fact that the higher front velocities were observed
only for durations of 1 ~sec, and during such a s h o r t period screening could not develop [9]. In experiments
with a 10-ram-diameter tube, where the maximum velocity reached 62 k m / s e c , brightness t e m p e r a t u r e did
not exceed 65,000°K due to screening of the shock wave radiation.
In all the experiments conducted the initial values of shock-wave velocity and brightness temperature
were approximately the same. However, their change with distance varied from experiment to experiment,
evidently because of breakdown of the thin glass tube [6].
Figure 3 shows radiation flux densities at various times in sections located 75 and 90 mm from the
beginning of the tube, calculated by the measured distribution of brightness t e m p e r a t u r e with cons ideration
of absorption of the hard portion of the Planck spectrum in the cold neon because of photoeffect.
The experiments conducted indicate that use of a Voitenko c o m p r e s s o r with p a r a m e t e r s presented in
Fig. 1 as an explosive light source permits irradiation of a target up to 4 cm 2 in a r e a with flux densities
up to 70 • 106 W / c m 2 with total light energies over the irradiation period of 30 J / c m 2.

LITERATURE CITED
1. I . F . Zhariko%I. V. Nemchinov, and M. A. Tsikulin, Zh. Prikl. Mekhan. Tekh. Fiz., No. 1, 3] (]967).
2. E. G Popov, A. A. Provalov, and M. A. Tsikulin, Dokl. Akad. Nauk SSSR, 194 , No. 4, 805 (1970).
3. A . E . Voitenko, Dold. Akad. Nauk SSSR, 1.5.8, No. 6, 1278 (1964).
4. A . E . Voitenko, Zh. Tekh. Fiz., 36, No. 1, 178 (1966).
5. A . E . Voitenko, I. Sh. Model', and I. S. Samoilov, Dokl. Akad. Nauk SSSR, 196, No. 3, 547 (1966).
6. H . D . Glenn and B. K. Crowley, J . Appl. Phys., 41, No. 10, 4157 (1970).
7. E . G . Popov and M. A. Tsikulin, Zh. Eksperim. ~ekh. Fiz., 57, 289 (1969).
8. Ya. B. Zel'dovich and Yu. P. Raizer, Physics of Shock Waves and High Temperature Hydrodynamic
Phenomena [in Russian], Nauka, Moscow (1966).
9. E . G . Popov, Candidate's Dissertation, Moscow (1969).
10. I. Sh. Model', Zh. Eksperim. Tekh. Fiz., 32, 714 (1957).
11. Yu. A. Zatsepin, E . G. Popov, and M. A. Tsikulin, Zh. ]~ksperim. Tekh. Fiz., 54, 112 (1968).

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