Excitation and Emission of Argon behind the Front of Shock Waves at Speeds of 4.5 ÷ 7.8 km/s. I. Experiment
The paper presents experimental data on the emission of pure argon behind the front of a strong shock wave in the 4.5 ÷ 7.8 km/s velocity range and the pressures ahead of the wave front of 0.25 ÷ 5 Torr. Integral time sweeps of the radiation (panoramic spectra), as well as time dependences of the intensity of argon radiation for wavelengths of 315, 420, 532.8, 696.5 and 738 nm in absolute units are given. Information is received on the delay time, the rate of radiation growth and its maximum intensity, depending on the velocity of the shock wave. The above experimental data make it possible to construct more accurate kinetic models of nonequilibrium ionization and radiation processes behind the front of the shock wave.