ADL ORVIS: an air-delay-leg, line-imaging optically recording velocity interferometer system.

An interferometry system that enables acquisition of spatially resolved velocity-time profiles with very high velocity sensitivity has been designed and applied to two diverse, instructive experimental problems: (1) measurement of low-amplitude reverberations in laser-driven flyer plates and (2) measurement of ramp-wave profiles in symmetric impact studies of fused silica. The delay leg in this version of a line-imaging optically recording velocity interferometer system (ORVIS) consists of a long air path that includes relay optics to transmit the optical signal through the interferometer cavity. Target image quality from the delay path at the image recombination plane is preserved by means of a compact and flexible optical design utilizing two parabolic reflectors (serving as the relay optics) in a folded path. With an instrument tuned to a velocity per fringe constant of 22.4 m s(-1) fringe(-1), differences of 1-2 m s(-1) across the probe line segment can be readily distinguished. Measurements that capture small spatial variations in flyer velocity are presented and briefly discussed. In the fused silica impact experiments, the ramp-wave profile observed by this air-delay instrument compares favorably to the profile recorded simultaneously by a conventional line-imaging ORVIS.

An experimental assembly for precise measurement of thermal accommodation coefficients.

An experimental apparatus has been developed to determine thermal accommodation coefficients for a variety of gas-surface combinations. Results are obtained primarily through measurement of the pressure dependence of the conductive heat flux between parallel plates separated by a gas-filled gap. Measured heat-flux data are used in a formula based on Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) simulations to determine the coefficients. The assembly also features a complementary capability for measuring the variation in gas density between the plates using electron-beam fluorescence. Surface materials examined include 304 stainless steel, gold, aluminum, platinum, silicon, silicon nitride, and polysilicon. Effects of gas composition, surface roughness, and surface contamination have been investigated with this system; the behavior of gas mixtures has also been explored. Without special cleaning procedures, thermal accommodation coefficients for most materials and surface finishes were determined to be near 0.95, 0.85, and 0.45 for argon, nitrogen, and helium, respectively. Surface cleaning by in situ argon-plasma treatment reduced coefficient values by up to 0.10 for helium and by ∼0.05 for nitrogen and argon. Results for both single-species and gas-mixture experiments compare favorably to DSMC simulations.