Light versus sound

V.F. Chirkashenko

A quasi-steady optical discharge in a supersonic air flow generated by a wind tunnel was obtained for the first time in the world at the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Novosibirsk). Interaction of the thermal wake from the discharge with the shock wave generated by the model was found to reduce the shock wave strength. This effect can be applied in aviation for decreasing the sonic boom intensity