Microwave Discharge with Sparkless Laser Initiation in Supersonic Flow and the Effect of Its Trace on Body Aerodynamics

The microwave discharge with sparkless laser initiation is studied experimentally in the medium without external flows and under the conditions of supersonic flow at the Mach number 1.44. It is found that the properties of the active phase of the microwave discharge when applying initiation in supersonic flow differ only slightly from the case without external flows. Shadowgraph images of shock waves in front of a model cylinder in supersonic flow with the energy deposition by the discharge under consideration are obtained. Numerical simulations of the gas-dynamic processes during discharge combustion and in its wake are carried out, and the interaction of the heated gas region with the bow shock wave front is investigated. The possibility of producing a modified shock wave structure in front of the model by 100 μs with a 30–60% reduction in the stagnation pressure using an initiated microwave discharge of short duration 0.5–2 μs is demonstrated.