Clicking in the Classroom with Bill the Magic Kat - An Interactive Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)

Not Available A very promising method of controlling hypersonic flows is through the use of a remotely-driven air plasma. The remotely driven plasma avoids the necessity of bringing the air to stagnation and also permits energy deposition at locations both near and far from vehicle or wind tunnel surfaces. The challenge is to generate the plasma with sufficient energy, and with sufficient control, to achieve the desired result. This proposal explores the use of an electron beam to localize and control a microwave-driven air plasma. Driving an electric discharge with an electron beam alone is attractive since the electron beam's position can be controlled using magnets and its penetration into the gas by changing the voltage. The main problem is that the electron beam cannot carry with it high power, since it must physically pass through a window in order to enter the air. Research Support Instruments (RSI) has developed a new method of producing microwave glow discharges without resorting to confining electrodes. This investigation proposes to couple that device with electron beam control. The Phase I research effort will be directed towards establishing the feasibility of controlling a microwave discharge with an electron beam.