Spatial and spectral structure of explosively generated plasmas in tubes

Explosively generated plasmas (EGPs) in straight and conical sections are examined with high-speed imaging and spectroscopy. Fine axial and radial structure is resolved in these EGP systems, suggesting a complex distribution of luminosity that varies spatially and temporally. Spectroscopic analysis identifies the main molecular emitters as OH, CN, and NH, with the majority of the emission in a broad continuum that fits well to a gray body distribution in the 7000–11,000 K range. Emission spectra from CN are fit in the optically thin limit and provide similar temperature.