Reshock Response of 2A12 Aluminum Alloy at High Pressures

By means of mounting the specimen on a low-impedance buffer, reshock experiments were carried out on a 2A12 almninum alloy up to shock stresses＇ of 67.6 GPa. Reshock wave profiles from the initial shock stresses of 60.9-67.6 GPa were measured with a velocity interferometer, and it shows that the 2A12 aluminum alloy characterizes as quasi-elastic response during recompression process. The Lagrange longitudinal velocities along the reloading path from initial shock state were obtained from two shots of experiments, while the bulk velocities at corresponding shock stresses were determined via extrapolating from the public reported unloading plastic sound velocities. Combining the reshock and the release experimental results, the yield strength of 2A12 aluminum alloy at shock stress of 60.9 GPa was estimated to be about 1.7GPa.     

Equation of State of Dense Liquid Nitrogen in the Region of the Dissociative Phase Transition

We have measured the equation of state for liquid nitrogen compressed dynamically to a pressure of 10-60 GPa by employing a two-stage light-gas gun.The data show a continuous phase transition above the shock pressure of 33GPa,as indicated previously by shock wave experiments.A theoretical model has been derived to examine the experimental data by inducing a molecular dissociative fraction.According to theoretical and experimental date the phase transition was thought to be a molecular dissociative phase transition.     

Effect of Anneal on the Release Behaviour of LY12-Al Alloy

The sound velocities along the release path of annealed LY12-Al are measured by using a velocity interferometer system for any reflector （VISAR） technique. The shear modulus and yield strength are then obtained. Comparison of the experimental results with those of unannealed LY12-Al shows that anneal has little influence on sound velocities and shear modulus though it weakens the yield strength considerably, and changes the dependence of yield strength upon shock stress. The ratio of shear modulus to yield strength of unannealed LY12-Al increases with shock stress monotonically while that of annealed LY12-Al exhibits much more complicated behaviour.     

Experimental observation of ionization and shock fronts in foam targets driven by thermal radiation

The behaviours of ionization and shock propagation in radiatively heated material is crucial for the understanding of indirect drive inertial confinement fusion as well as some astrophysics phenomena. In this work, radiation field with a peak temperature of up to 155 eV was generated in a gold cavity heated by four laser beams on the SG-II laser system and was used to irradiate a plastic foam cylinder at one end. The radiatively ablated foam cylinder was then backlighted side-on by x-ray from a laser-irradiated Ti disk. By observing the transmission decrease due to the shock compression of the foam cylinder, the trajectories of shock front were measured, and from the onset of the intense thermal emission from the side of the cylinder, the propagations of the ionization front were also observed on the same shot. The experimental measurements were compared to predictions of the radiation hydrodynamics code Multi-1D and reasonable agreements were found.     

Measurement of transient Raman spectrum on gas-gun loading platform and its application in liquid silane

Combining a low temperature liquidizing system with a transient Raman spectroscopy, a new experimental technique is established for the first time on a two-stage light-gas gun, and it is employed to study shock-compressed fluid silane. With this experimental technique, we first obtain a Raman peak shift relating to the Si–H stretching vibration mode of molecular liquid silane under shock loading conditions. The Raman peak of 2184 cm~(-1) at an initial state of 0 GPa and 85 K moves to 2223.4 cm~(-1) at a shocked state of 10.5 GPa and 950 K, and its full width of half maximum broadens from 33 cm~(-1) to 118 cm~(-1). The shocked temperature, calculated by the thermodynamic equation of state, is well consistent with that estimated by the Doppler broadening function.     

Stability of liquid crystal systems doped with γ-Fe_2O_3 nanoparticles

In order to explore the stability of a liquid crystal(LC) system doped with γ-Fe_2O_3 nanoparticles, the physical properties(clearing point, dielectric properties), electro-optical properties and residual direct-current voltage(RDCV) of the doped LC system were measured and evaluated at different times. First, the temperature was controlled by precision hot stage, and the clearing point temperature of doped LC was observed and measured by a polarized optical microscope. Using a precision LCR meter, we measured the capacitance-voltage curves of the doped LC system at the temperature of 27℃.The dielectric constant of doped LC was calculated by the dualcell capacitance method. Then, the electro-optical properties of the doped LC system were measured. Finally, the RDCV of the doped LC system was measured and calculated. After five months, the parameters of the doped LC system were re-measured and analyzed under the same conditions to evaluate its stability. The experimental results show that, within five months, the clearing point change rate of doped LC is in the range of 0.24%–1.37%, the change of dielectric anisotropy is in the range of 0.035–0.2, the curves of electro-optical properties are basically fitted, and the change rate of saturated RDCV is about 11.2%, which basically indicate that the LC system doped with γ-Fe_2O_3 nanoparticles has good stability.     

Anisotropic Energetic Ion Emission from Explosionof Intense Laser Irradiated Argon Clusters in a Jet

The interaction of an intense femtosecond laser field (～ 10^16 W/cm^2) with argon clusters in a dense jet has been studied by measuring the energy and angle distributions of emitted ions. A directional anisotropy in the ion explosion energies is observed. The experimental results indicate that the average ion energies are up to 40% in the detection direction parallel to the laser polarization higher than that perpendicular to it. The measured ion yield increases about 80%, correspondingly. The findings are interpreted by charge-dependent ion acceleration and explosion of elliptic microplasma spheres.     

Study of neutron spectra in a water bath from a Pb target irradiated by 250 MeV protons

Spallation neutrons were produced by the irradiation of Pb with 250 MeV protons. The Pb target was surrounded by water which was used to slow down the emitted neutrons. The moderated neutrons in the water bath were measured by using the resonance detectors of Au, Mn and In with a cadmium (Cd) cover. According to the measured activities of the foils, the neutron flux at different resonance energies were deduced and the epithermal neutron spectra were proposed. Corresponding results calculated with the Monte Carlo code MCNPX were compared with the experimental data to check the validity of the code. The comparison showed that the simulation could give a good prediction for the neutron spectra above 50 eV, while the finite thickness of the foils greatly effected the experimental data in low energy. It was also found that the resonance detectors themselves had great impact on the simulated energy spectra.     

Measurement on Effective Shear Viscosity Coefficient of Iron under Shock Compression at 100GPa

The oscillatory damping curve of a shock front propagating in iron shocked to 103 GPa is measured by use of two-stage light-gas gun and electric pin techniques. The corresponding effective shear viscosity coefficient is deduced to be about 2000 Pa.s from Miller and Ahrens＇ formula. The result is consistent with that of Mineev＇s data at 31GPa, while it is higher by five orders than the predictions based on the static measurements at about 5 GPa and 2000K and molecular dynamic simulation up to 135-375 GPa and 4300-6000 K, and the discussions are presented.     

Correlation between microbubble-induced acoustic cavitation and hemolysis in vitro

Microbubbles promise to enhance the efficiency of ultrasound-mediated drug delivery and gene therapy by taking advantage of artificial cavitation nuclei.The purpose of this study is to examine the ultrasound-induced hemolysis in the application of drug delivery in the presence of microbubbles.To achieve this goal,human red blood cells mixed with microbubbles were exposed to 1-MHz pulsed ultrasound.The hemolysis level was measured by a flow cytometry,and the cavitation dose was detected by a passive cavitation detecting system.The results demonstrate that larger cavitation dose would be generated with the increase of acoustic pressure,which might give rise to the enhancement of hemolysis.Besides the experimental observations,the acoustic pressure dependence of the radial oscillation of microbubble was theoretically estimated.The comparison between the experimental and calculation results indicates that the hemolysis should be highly correlated to the acoustic cavitation.     

Measurement of iron characteristics under ramp compression

Laser-driven ramp compression was used to investigate iron characteristics along the isentropic path. The iterative Lagrangian analysis method was employed to analyze the free surface velocity profiles in iron stepped target measured with two VISARs. The onset stress for the α to ε phase transformation was determined from the sudden change in the sound velocity and was found over-pressurized compared to the static and shock results. The derived stress(26 GPa) and strain rate(up to 10~8 s~(-1)) are consistent with our previous experimental results. The stress-density relations were compared with those from previous ramp experiments and good agreements were found, which experimentally confirms the simulations,showing that iterative Lagrangian analysis can be applied to the ramp-compression data with weak shock.     

Studies of flow field characteristics during the impact of a gaseous jet on liquid–water column

Both experimental and numerical studies were presented on the flow field characteristics in the process of gaseous jet impinging on liquid–water column. The effects of the impinging process on the working performance of rocket engine were also analyzed. The experimental results showed that the liquid–water had better flame and smoke dissipation effect in the process of gaseous jet impinging on liquid–water column. However, the interaction between the gaseous jet and the liquid–water column resulted in two pressure oscillations with large amplitude appearing in the combustion chamber of the rocket engine with instantaneous pressure increased by 17.73% and 17.93%, respectively. To analyze the phenomena, a new computational method was proposed by coupling the governing equations of the MIXTURE model with the phase change equations of water and the combustion equation of propellant. Numerical simulations were carried out on the generation of gas, the accelerate gas flow, and the mutual interaction between gaseous jet and liquid–water column.Numerical simulations showed that a cavity would be formed in the liquid–water column when gaseous jet impinged on the liquid–water column. The development speed of the cavity increased obviously after each pressure oscillation. In the initial stage of impingement, the gaseous jet was blocked due to the inertia effect of high-density water, and a large amount of gas gathered in the area between the nozzle throat and the gas–liquid interface. The shock wave was formed in the nozzle expansion section. Under the dual action of the reverse pressure wave and the continuously ejected high-temperature gas upstream, the shock wave moved repeatedly in the nozzle expansion section, which led to the flow of gas in the combustion chamber being blocked, released, re-blocked, and re-released. This was also the main reason for the pressure oscillations in the combustion chamber.     

Molecular dynamics study for the melting curve of MgO at high pressure

Shell-model molecular dynamics method is used to study the melting temperatures of MgO at elevated temperatures and high pressures using interaction potentials. Equations of state for MgO simulated by molecular dynamics are in good agreement with available experimental data. The pressure dependence of the melting curve of MgO has been calculated. The surface melting and superheating are considered in the correction of experimental data and the calculated values, respectively. The results of corrections are compared with those of previous work. The corrected melting temperature of MgO is consistent with corrected experimental measurements. The melting temperature of MgO up to 140GPa is calculated.     

Determination of interface layer thickness of a pseudo two—phase system by extension of the Debye equation

The Debye equation with slit-smeared small angle x-ray scattering(SAXS) data is extended form an ideal two-phase system to a pseudo two-phase system with the presence of the interface layer,and a simple accurate solution is proposed to determine the average thickness of the interface layer in porous materials.This method is tested by experimental SAXS data,which were measured at 25℃,of organo-modified mesoporous silica prepared by condensation of tetraethoxysiland(TEOS) and methyltriethoxysilane(MTES) using non-ionic neutral surfactant as template under neutral condition.     

Validity of the two-term Boltzmann approximation employed in the fluid model for high-power microwave breakdown in gas

The electron energy distribution function （EEDF）, predicted by the Boltzmann equation solver BOLSIG＋ based on the two-term approximation, is introduced into the fluid model for simulating the high-power microwave （HPM） breakdown in argon, nitrogen, and air, and its validity is examined by comparing with the results of particle-in-cell Monte Carlo collision （PIC/MCC） simulations as well as the experimental data. Numerical results show that, the breakdown time of the fluid model with the Maxwellian EEDF matches that of the PIC/MCC simulations in nitrogen; however, in argon under high pressures, the results from the Maxwellian EEDF were poor. This is due to an overestimation of the energy tail of the Maxwellian EEDF in argon breakdown. The prediction of the fluid model with the BOLSIG＋ EEDF, however, agrees very well with the PIC/MCC prediction in nitrogen and argon over a wide range of pressures. The accuracy of the fluid model with the BOLSIG＋ EEDF is also verified by the experimental results of the air breakdown.     

Study of neutron activation yields in spallation reaction of 400 MeV/u carbon on a thick lead target

The spallation-neutron yield was studied experimentally by bombarding a thick lead target with 400 MeV/u carbon beam. The data were obtained with the activation analysis method using foils of Au, Mn, Al, Fe and In. The yields of produced isotopes were deduced by analyzing the measured γ spectra of the irradiated foils. According to the isotopes yields, the spatial and energy distributions of the neutron field were discussed. The experimental results were compared with Monte Carlo simulations performed by the GEANT4+FLUKA code.     

Numerical Simulation of Wave Propagation and Phase Transition of Tin under Shock-Wave Loading

We undertake a nmnerical simulation of shock experiments on tin reported in the literature, by using a multiphase equation of state （MEOS） and a multiphase Steinberg Guinan （MSG） constitutive model for tin in theβ, γ and liquid phases. In the MSG model, the Bauschinger effect is considered to better describe the unloading behavior. The phase diagram and Hugoniot of tin are calculated by MEOS, and they agree well with the experimental data. Combined with the M130S and MSG models, hydrodynamic computer simulations are successful in reproducing the measured velocity profile of the shock wave experiment. Moreover, by analyzing the mass fraction contour as well as stress and temperature profiles of each phase for tin, we further discuss the complex behavior of tin under shock-wave loading.     

Research on the mechanics of underwater supersonic gas jets

An experimental research was carried out to study the fluid mechanics of underwater supersonic gas jets. High pressure air was injected into a water tank through converging-diverging nozzles (Laval nozzles). The jets were operated at different conditions of over-, full- and under-expansions. The jet sequences were visualized using a CCD camera. It was found that the injection of supersonic air jets into water is always accompanied by strong flow oscillation, which is related to the phenomenon of shock waves feedback in the gas phase. The shock wave feedback is different from the acoustic feedback when a supersonic gas jet discharges into open air, which causes screech tone. It is a process that the shock waves enclosed in the gas pocket induce a periodic pressure with large amplitude variation in the gas jet. Consequently, the periodic pressure causes the jet oscillation including the large amplitude expansion. Detailed pressure measurements were also conducted to verify the shock wave feedback phenomenon. Three kinds of measuring methods were used, i.e., pressure probe submerged in water, pressure measurements from the side and front walls of the nozzle devices respectively. The results measured by these methods are in a good agreement. They show that every oscillation of the jets causes a sudden increase of pressure and the average frequency of the shock wave feedback is about 5–10 Hz.     

Experimental study of nonlinear switching characteristics of conventional 2×2 fused tapered couplers

The nonlinear switching characteristics of fused fiber directional couplers were studied experimentally. By using femtosecond laser pulses with pulse width of 100 fs and wavelength of about 1550 nm from a system of Ti:sapphire laser and optical parametric amplifier (OPA), the nonlinear switching properties of a null coupler and a 100% coupler were measured. The experimental results were coincident with the simulations based on nonlinear propagation equations in fiber by using super-mode theory. Nonlinear loss in fiber was also measured to get the injected power at the coupler. After deducting the nonlinear loss and input efficiency, the nonlinear switching critical peak powers for a 100% and a null fused couplers were calculated to be 9410 and 9440 W, respectively. The nonlinear loss parameter PN in an expression of αNL=αP/PN was obtained to be PN = 0.23 W.