OPTICAL STUDY OF PARAMETERS OF THE PASSAGE OF A SHOCK-WAVE FROM AIR-TO-WATER

A study is made of the penetration of shock waves from air into water. The shock wave in air is generated as a result of dielectric breakdow n induced by pulsed CO2-laser radiation. A combination of the double-e xposure shadow method and holographic interferometry is used to measur e the shock-wave parameters. Density and pressure profiles behind the wave front are obtained at different times after onset of breakdown. I t is shown experimentally that as the wave passes through the interfac e from the air to the water, there is a fourfold amplification of the pressure in the shock wave front. Estimates of the width of the shock wave front formed in the water are given in the context of studies of large-scale explosion processes. It is shown that simple empirical dep endences, established in the course of studies of large-scale explosio ns, are also valid with certain corrections for microscopic laboratory experiments. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics. [S1063-7842(98)0 0608-4].