Non-Doppler shift related experimental shock wave measurements using velocity interferometer systems for any reflector - art. no. 056402

Velocity interferometer system for any reflectors (VISARs), are becoming in creasingly popular in the measurement of shack waves in solids and liquids. VISAR techniques are used in measurements of transit time, speed of shock waves in flight in transparent media [L. C. Chhabildas and J. L. Wise, in P roceedings of the 4th APS Topical Conference on Shock Waves in Condensed Ma tter; Spokane, Washington, 1985, edited by Y, M. Gupta (Plenum, New York, 1 986); P. M. Celliers ei al.: Appl. Phys. Lett. 73, 1320 (1998)], and in mea surements of particle velocity. However, in cases where shock compression o r release may change the index of refraction n + ik of the material being s tudied, the VISAR technique must be applied with care. Changes in a and k i ntroduce phase shifts into the VISAR results that are not associated with c hanges in velocity. This paper presents a derivation of the theoretical out put of a line VISAR that includes the effects of changing n and k and an ex perimental observation of a non-Doppler shift related effect.