The interaction of shock waves with high density air plasma

The Center for Physical and Power Electronics at The University of Missouri-Columbia and Applied Research Associates have recently developed an experimental test stand for the purposes of studying the interaction of shock waves with plasmas in air. The test stand includes a robust 20 cm diameter pneumatic shock tube capable of producing a consistent shock wave. Concurrently, an atmospheric-air plasma is produced to interact with the wave front produced by the shock tube. The shock wave is formed by rupturing a Mylar film diaphragm separating the pressurized driver section from the unpressurized driven section of the tube. For temporal reproducibility, an exploding wire is used to rupture the diaphragm.