Measurement Capabilities

State-of-the-art experimental diagnostics at the Institute for Shock Physics are used to examine changes in condensed matter response under dynamic and static compression.  WSU students and faculty have played a pioneering role in the development and use of time-resolved, multiscale measurements in shock wave experiments.

• Time-resolved Continuum Measurements: Laser interferometry (Single- and Multi-point VISAR), EMV gauges, piezoelectric stress gauges, and piezoresistance stress gauges are used to observe the evolution of propagating shock waves.
• High Speed Imaging: A high speed framing camera, with inter-frame times in nanoseconds, is used to directly image changes in a material over length scales down to the mesoscale (tens of microns).
• X-Ray Diffraction Measurements (ns resolution): Real-time x-ray diffraction measurements are used to quantify a material’s microstructure to understand elastic-plastic deformation and phase changes.
• Fast Optical Spectroscopy: Absorption, Emission, and Reflection Spectroscopies provide information about the electronic states of condensed matter.  Vibrational (Raman) Spectroscopy and FT-IR (Fourier Transform Infrared) Spectroscopy with PM-IRRAS (Polarization Modulation Infrared Reflection Absorption Spectroscopy) provide information about vibrational states.
• Impulsive Stimulated Thermal Scattering (ISTS): These measurements provide information about the acoustical and thermal transport properties of materials.  ISTS capabilities are used to measure elastic constants and thermal conductivity under both dynamic and static high pressure conditions.