| Abstract: | Air breakdown at pressures of 300 and 753 torr was produced by a 28J, 40 ns FWHM neodymium glass laser focused with a 100 mm focal length lens. The breakdown region was observed by recording infinite fringe, interferometric, diffuse holograms with a single-mode ruby laser of 100 ns FWHM pulse length. The two lasers were synchronized to examine the time region from < 1–38 μs after initiation. Shock wave velocities of about Mach 2 were typical at these times and the shock front was virtually spherical. The R-t diagram was found to be in excellent agreement with the weak spherical blast wave theory of Sakurai. The radial density profile of the shock wave was determined by an Abel inversion of the fringe pattern. Both the R-t function and the density profile were calculated using a one-dimensional, hydrodynamic model and good agreement was obtained. |
