Developing a facility for magnetoaerodynamic experiments

Significant progress has been made in researching key components for a magn etoaerodynamic hypersonic experimental facility. A wind tunnel, which opera tes at a nominal Mach number of 6, has been restored to running condition a nd yielded preliminary data on aerodynamic drag and shock bifurcation for a jet spike. Plasma generation via radio-frequency (RF) radiation has also s hown promise in providing a fairly uniform field around the PT-signal-carry ing electrode. A technique for measuring temperature of weakly ionized air has been accomplished based on rotational spectra of vibrionic excitation o f nitrogen. These newly acquired techniques are being integrated to create an interdisciplinary simulation facility.