Radiance and Velocity Measurements on Shock-Ramp Loaded Tin

We report here an updated analysis of a series of experiments on shock-ramp loaded tin. An accurate material temperature is not only an essential component of an equation of state, but also a good measure of a phase transition, its kinetics, and associated thermal transport properties. In a series of experiments, we measured particle velocity and thermal emission at the tin-LiF interfaces on shock and ramp loading experiments. Using a graded density impactor, we drive the tin sample through melting with the initial shock and then further ramp-compress it back into the solid phase. Various configurations of experimental set-up were used to simultaneously measure particle velocity and thermal emission from which we deduce pressure, density, sound velocity and temperature. A gray body radiation is assumed in these calculations. The measured particle velocity shows a traditional signature for phase transition, while thermal radiance exhibits a change consistent with the heat of solidification. We will discuss here the mechanical and thermal aspects of this phase transition, its kinetics, and thermal transport issues in this experiment.