Characterization of Plenum Spectra in an Arcjet Wind Tunnel

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

An optical fiber is used to collect radiation from the plenum of an arcjet wind tunnel. Studying the spectra, the electronic excitation temperatures are determined from the Boltzmann plots of atomic oxygen and nitrogen emission lines. In the case of atomic oxygen, the temperature is found to be about 15,000 ± 3400 K, and that of nitrogen is found to be 7600 ± 1500 K. Determination of molecular vibrational-rotational temperature is made by comparing experimental and theoretical spectra of the N 2 + molecular radiation. The temperature is estimated to be 9700 ± 1200 K, using an integrals ratio method.