Nonequilibrium magnesium-related processes in the wake behind a model moving with hypersonic speed in air

Changes in the wake flow characteristics behind a body made of an aluminum-magnesium alloy and flying in air with a hypersonic speed are analyzed. It is shown that, as a result of afterburning of magnesium vapor in the wake, first, MgO forms in the gas phase, and then it condense to drops, which thermoionically emit electrons. The latter leads to accumulation of a positive charge on the drops and to a noticeable increase in the electron concentration in the wake. Calculations that illustrate the time dependence of the magnesium concentration and a substantial temperature rise in the wake, caused by magnesium afterburning, are described.