The Post-Shock Nonequilibrium Relaxation in a Hypersonic Plasma Flow Involving Reflection off a Thermal Discontinuity

The evolution in the post-shock nonequilibrium relaxation in a hypersonic plasma flow was investigated during a shock’s reflection off a thermal discontinuity. It was found that within a transitional period, the relaxation zone parameters past both the reflected and transmitted waves evolve differen...

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Main Author: Anna Markhotok
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-03-01
Series:Plasma
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6182/6/1/14
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author Anna Markhotok
author_facet Anna Markhotok
author_sort Anna Markhotok
collection DOAJ
description The evolution in the post-shock nonequilibrium relaxation in a hypersonic plasma flow was investigated during a shock’s reflection off a thermal discontinuity. It was found that within a transitional period, the relaxation zone parameters past both the reflected and transmitted waves evolve differently compared to that in the incident wave. In a numerical example for the non-dissociating <i>N</i><sub>2</sub> gas heated to 5000 K/10,000 K across the interface and <i>M</i> = 3.5, the relaxation time determined for the transmitted wave is up to 50% shorter and the relaxation depth for both waves is significantly reduced, thus resulting in a weakened wave structure. The results of the extension into larger values of heating strength and the shock Mach numbers are discussed. The findings can be useful in the areas of research involving strong shocks interacting with optical discharges or other heated media on the scale where the shock structure becomes important.
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spelling doaj.art-28e885b801a04cdb81a10df0676ca5082023-11-17T13:23:50ZengMDPI AGPlasma2571-61822023-03-016118119710.3390/plasma6010014The Post-Shock Nonequilibrium Relaxation in a Hypersonic Plasma Flow Involving Reflection off a Thermal DiscontinuityAnna Markhotok0Physics Department, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23529, USAThe evolution in the post-shock nonequilibrium relaxation in a hypersonic plasma flow was investigated during a shock’s reflection off a thermal discontinuity. It was found that within a transitional period, the relaxation zone parameters past both the reflected and transmitted waves evolve differently compared to that in the incident wave. In a numerical example for the non-dissociating <i>N</i><sub>2</sub> gas heated to 5000 K/10,000 K across the interface and <i>M</i> = 3.5, the relaxation time determined for the transmitted wave is up to 50% shorter and the relaxation depth for both waves is significantly reduced, thus resulting in a weakened wave structure. The results of the extension into larger values of heating strength and the shock Mach numbers are discussed. The findings can be useful in the areas of research involving strong shocks interacting with optical discharges or other heated media on the scale where the shock structure becomes important.https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6182/6/1/14hypersonic plasma dynamicsoptical dischargeshock wave structurenonequilibrium state
spellingShingle Anna Markhotok
The Post-Shock Nonequilibrium Relaxation in a Hypersonic Plasma Flow Involving Reflection off a Thermal Discontinuity
Plasma
hypersonic plasma dynamics
optical discharge
shock wave structure
nonequilibrium state
title The Post-Shock Nonequilibrium Relaxation in a Hypersonic Plasma Flow Involving Reflection off a Thermal Discontinuity
title_full The Post-Shock Nonequilibrium Relaxation in a Hypersonic Plasma Flow Involving Reflection off a Thermal Discontinuity
title_fullStr The Post-Shock Nonequilibrium Relaxation in a Hypersonic Plasma Flow Involving Reflection off a Thermal Discontinuity
title_full_unstemmed The Post-Shock Nonequilibrium Relaxation in a Hypersonic Plasma Flow Involving Reflection off a Thermal Discontinuity
title_short The Post-Shock Nonequilibrium Relaxation in a Hypersonic Plasma Flow Involving Reflection off a Thermal Discontinuity
title_sort post shock nonequilibrium relaxation in a hypersonic plasma flow involving reflection off a thermal discontinuity
topic hypersonic plasma dynamics
optical discharge
shock wave structure
nonequilibrium state
url https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6182/6/1/14
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