Measurements of Sound Speeds in Shocked Materials

A new method to measure the sound velocity in shocked materials is described. The non-steady wave correction allows one to relate the shock profile in a sample to that in a reference material with a known equation of state. A comparison of arrival times of characteristic shock features in a sample to those in the reference material provides a relative measure of the sound velocity in the shocked sample. Data are presented for these sound-speed measurements in LiF and fused silica along with an absolute measurement of the sound velocity in shocked quartz---the standard to which these samples are referenced. This material is based upon work supported by the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration under Award Number DE-NA0001944.