Absorption Spectra of Shocked Liquid CS₂

Abstract

The importance of shock initiation of high explosives (HE) was understood as early as 1863 when Alfred Nobel introduced the detonator as a means of detonating nitroglycerine. The critical pressure rise times required to achieve shock initiation and steady propagation of detonation are determined by the chemical and mechanical properties of an explosive. Although progress has been made in the understanding of the effects of mechanical properties, the detailed effects of high pressures on chemical reaction mechanisms are still only poorly understood. This paper reports the results of two experiments using CS₂, which is known to undergo electronic state transitions when shocked to high pressures.¹ The goal of these experiments was to examine the known shock-generated expansion of CS₂ absorption bands while generating the shocks with a flyer plate system driven by high explosives.