Laser‐induced breakdown of UF6 and its application to flow diagnostics

Breakdown of gaseous UF6 can be produced with relatively low fluence (approximately 106 W/cm2) near‐uv pulsed laser light. A broad spectrum is produced consisting of hundred of atomic (U1 and U11) lines. Following breakdown, particles are formed from the dissociation/ionization products and the sample volume remains ionized for a long time. This sample volume is elevated in temperature, and a shock wave is produced. Other pertinent details are presented. A schlieren technique is described for observing the motion, hence velocity, of the temperature defect and shock wave. Also given is a flow visualization method based on imaging a long‐lived emission component with a gated (≥10‐ns) image intensifier system. These and other methods are prospective ways to perform flow diagnostics in gas centrifuges.