Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 9, 2026
10:33
Research and Development of High-performance Explosives
Published on: February 20, 2016
A theory of light-induced explosion
S H Lin1, W B Richardson, H Eyring
1Department of Chemistry, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85281.
Summary
This study models explosive reactions to light, revealing critical parameter relationships. Key findings link light intensity, sample size, and temperature for explosives like lead azide.
Area of Science:
- Chemical Engineering
- Materials Science
- Physical Chemistry
Background:
- Understanding explosive behavior under external stimuli is crucial for safety and applications.
- Light-induced reactions in energetic materials require detailed theoretical investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To theoretically analyze the response of explosives to varying light intensities.
- To establish a relationship between critical parameters governing explosive initiation.
Main Methods:
- Development of a simplified one-dimensional theoretical model.
- Numerical simulations to explore parameter interactions.
Main Results:
- Identification of a key relationship among critical parameters.
- Quantification of the interplay between critical light intensity, sample dimension, and ambient temperature.
- Validation using lead azide as a case study.
Conclusions:
- The developed model provides a framework for predicting explosive sensitivity to light.
- Critical parameters significantly influence the initiation threshold of energetic materials.
- Further research can refine the model for diverse explosive compositions.
Related Concept Videos
02:39Emission Spectra
When solids, liquids, or condensed gases are heated sufficiently, they radiate some of the excess energy as light. Photons produced in this manner have a range of energies, and thereby produce a continuous spectrum in which an unbroken series of wavelengths is present.
02:26Photoelectric Effect
When light of a particular wavelength strikes a metal surface, electrons are emitted. This is called the photoelectric effect. The minimum frequency of light that can cause such emission of electrons is called the threshold frequency, which is specific to the metal. Light with a frequency lower than the threshold frequency, even if it is of high intensity, cannot initiate the emission of electrons. However, when the frequency is higher than the threshold value, the number of electrons ejected...
02:12The Wave Nature of Light
The nature of light has been a subject of inquiry since antiquity. In the seventeenth century, Isaac Newton performed experiments with lenses and prisms and was able to demonstrate that white light consists of the individual colors of the rainbow combined together. Newton explained his optics findings in terms of a "corpuscular" view of light, in which light was composed of streams of extremely tiny particles traveling at high speeds according to Newton's laws of motion.
01:02Flame Photometry: Overview
Flame photometry, also known as flame emission spectrometry, is a technique used for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of elements present in a sample using a flame as the source of excitation energy. The concept of flame photometry was realized in the early 1860s by Kirchhoff and Bunsen, who discovered that specific elements emit characteristic radiation when excited in flames. The first instrument developed for this purpose was used to measure sodium (Na) in plant ash using a Bunsen...
02:31Scientific Laws and Theories
Scientific Laws
02:18Interference and Diffraction
Interference is a characteristic phenomenon exhibited by waves. When two electromagnetic waves interact with their peaks and troughs coinciding, a resulting wave with enhanced amplitude is produced. This is known as constructive interference. In this case, the two waves interacting are in phase with each other.