Application of optical spectroscopy to explosively driven hydrodynamic experiments

Summary form only given. Optical emission from plasmas can be used to provide key parameters of the plasma such as the elemental composition, temperature, densities, charge states, expansion/implosion velocities and potentially estimates of plasma elemental mass values. Optical spectroscopy has been fielded for the first time on an explosively driven flat plate hydrodynamic experiment at AWE. The experiment consisted of a series of bonded aluminium and stainless steel flat plates under which a high explosive was fixed. Optical emission data from ejected plasma as a function of both time and position were collected. The vertical propagation of the plasma ejecta plumes were mapped at discrete points over a 12.5 mm range above the plate surface. The spectral emission peaks observed from the ejected plasma indicated an abundance of chromium, iron, manganese and nickel which are all components of stainless steel.