Ultraviolet Laser-induced ignition of RDX single crystal
The RDX single crystals are ignited by ultraviolet laser (355 nm, 6.4 ns) pulses. The laser-induced damage morphology consisted of two distinct regions: a core region of layered fracture and a peripheral region of stripped material surrounding the core. As laser fluence increases, the area of the whole crack region increases all the way, while both the area and depth of the core region increase firstly, and then stay stable over the laser fluence of 12 J/cm2. The experimental details indicate the dynamics during laser ignition process. Plasma fireball of high temperature and pressure occurs firstly, followed by the micro-explosions on the (210) surface, and finally shock waves propagate through the materials to further strip materials outside and yield in-depth cracks in larger surrounding region. The plasma fireball evolves from isotropic to anisotropic under higher laser fluence resulting in the damage expansion only in lateral direction while maintaining the fixed depth. The primary insights into the interaction dynamics between laser and energetic materials can help developing the superior laser ignition technique.
Understanding Limits of the Thermal Mechanism of Laser Initiation of Energetic Materials
Laser initiation of energetic materials has a potential to shift a paradigm in the development of novel explosive technologies with a stunningly broad range of applications. Once interactions of laser irradiation with energetic materials are better understood, dramatically improved safe explosive devices, intricate high-precision tools in micromedicine, miniaturized cutting and drilling tools, synthesis of new promising materials with tailored properties, and fundamentally new concepts of converting energy become possible. We consider the interplay between optical and thermal energies, analyze the applicability of the thermal mechanism of initiation, and estimate the limits of its efficiency in the process of laser initiation of energetic materials. We propose a simple demonstration of a feasibility of nonthermal selective photoinitiation while challenging the widely popular perception of the thermal nature of laser initiation.
Anomalous Annealing Behavior of Arsenic Implanted Silicon as a Function of Dose and Energy
Anomalous annealing behavior of damage in As implanted Si has been investigated by channeling effect measurements. Room temperature As implants with doses from 1014 to 2 × 1016cm-2 at energies ranging from 50 to 250 keV into Si were annealed over the range of 600°C to 1100°C. Anneal temperatures ≥ 950°C reduce the disorder for ion doses of 0.5 to 1 × 1016 cm-2 at energies between 50 and 250 keV. Anomalously high residual disorder was found for the intermediate doses of 2 × 1014 to 2 × 10/cm2 implanted above 100 keV. For this intermediate dose, annealing of implants performed at liquid nitrogen temperatures did not show significant reduction in this damage. However implants at 200° to 300°C indicate a lower amount of damage compared to the room temperature implants.