The effect of pulsed sliding surface discharges on supersonic airflow past a thin wedge in shock tube

The influence of 300-ns pulsed sliding surface discharges on supersonic airflow with $M$ = 1.2–1.5 past a thin wedge has been studied in a shock tube at 0.12–0.14 kg/m$^3$ gas density. It is established that inhomogeneity of the airflow-density field near the wedge leads to changes in the discharge current geometry and the structure of surface-discharge glow. The dynamics of discharge-initiated shock waves disturbing the quasi-stationary flow past the wedge was studied by the method of shadow visualization. It is shown that shock waves from intense surface-discharge channels in front of the wedge and behind its rear part can produce nonstationary action on the flow past the wedge surface, which lasts for up to 120 $\mu$s after the discharge pulse.