Cindy Bolme

Photoactive high explosives: linear and nonlinear photochemistry of petrin tetrazine chloride.

Pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), a high explosive, initiates with traditional shock and thermal mechanisms. In this study, the tetrazine-substituted derivative of PETN, pentaerythritol trinitrate chlorotetrazine (PetrinTzCl), is being investigated for a photochemical initiation mechanism that could allow control over the chemistry contributing to decomposition leading to initiation. PetrinTzCl exhibits a photochemical quantum yield (QYPC) at 532 nm not evident with PETN. Using static spectroscopic methods, we observe energy absorption on the tetrazine (Tz) ring that results in photodissociation yielding N2, Cl-CN, and Petrin-CN as the major photoproducts. The QYPC was enhanced with increasing irradiation intensity. Experiment and theoretical calculations imply this excitation mechanism follows sequential photon absorption. Dynamic simulations demonstrate that the relaxation mechanism leading to the observed photochemistry in PetrinTzCl is due to vibrational excitation during internal conversion. PetrinTzCls single photon stability and intensity dependence suggest this material could be stable in ambient lighting, yet possible to initiate with short-pulsed lasers.

Ultrafast Photodissociation Dynamics of Nitromethane

Nitromethane (NM), a high explosive (HE) with low sensitivity, is known to undergo photolysis upon ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. The optical transparency, homogeneity, and extensive study of NM make it an ideal system for studying photodissociation mechanisms in conventional HE materials. The photochemical processes involved in the decomposition of NM could be applied to the future design of controllable photoactive HE materials. In this study, the photodecomposition of NM from the nπ* state excited at 266 nm is being investigated on the femtosecond time scale. UV femtosecond transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy and excited state femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy (FSRS) are combined with nonadiabatic excited state molecular dynamics (NA-ESMD) simulations to provide a unified picture of NM photodecomposition. The FSRS spectrum of the photoproduct exhibits peaks in the NO2 region and slightly shifted C-N vibrational peaks pointing to methyl nitrite formation as the dominant photoproduct. A total photolysis quantum yield of 0.27 and an nπ* state lifetime of ∼20 fs were predicted from NA-ESMD simulations. Predicted time scales revealed that NO2 dissociation occurs in 81 ± 4 fs and methyl nitrite formation is much slower having a time scale of 452 ± 9 fs corresponding to the excited state absorption feature with a decay of 480 ± 17 fs observed in the TA spectrum. Although simulations predict C-N bond cleavage as the primary photochemical process, the relative time scales are consistent with isomerization occurring via NO2 dissociation and subsequent rebinding of the methyl radical and nitrogen dioxide.

Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering of laser shock compressed α-quartz

We have developed the capability to perform in situ coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) spectroscopy on materials that are dynamically compressed using the Janus laser at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. We measured the CARS spectrum of α-quartz that was shocked above the Hugoniot elastic limit along the c-axis to 19.0 GPa. These data show that the Si-O-Si angle, which is natively 144° becomes a distribution of angles ranging from 139° to 146°. The data also observe a significant increase in the broad peak above 600 cm-1 that is attributed to defects in amorphous silica. Previous studies have shown these features in shock recovered α-quartz samples that have undergone varying amounts of amorphization, and these data show strong evidence of amorphization of quartz at a pressure below that of the amorphization observed in the shock-recovered samples.

Studying Shocked Material Dynamics with Ultrafast X-rays

The response of micron-scale inhomogeneities dictates the overall dynamic, structural and chemical response of many materials. Of particular interest is the response of micron scale voids. It is believed that such micron scale voids are responsible for the nucleation of damage leading to structural failure in metals and to initiation of detonation in explosive material under high strain-rates. A critical step towards developing safer, stronger, and longer lasting materials in a range of applications from energy to defense requires understanding the dynamic response of these inhomogeneties on the micron-scale.

Machine learning to analyze images of shocked materials for precise and accurate measurements

A supervised machine learning algorithm, called locally adaptive discriminant analysis (LADA), has been developed to locate boundaries between identifiable image features that have varying intensities. LADA is an adaptation of image segmentation, which includes techniques that find the positions of image features (classes) using statistical intensity distributions for each class in the image. In order to place a pixel in the proper class, LADA considers the intensity at that pixel and the distribution of intensities in local (nearby) pixels. This paper presents the use of LADA to provide, with statistical uncertainties, the positions and shapes of features within ultrafast images of shock waves. We demonstrate the ability to locate image features including crystals, density changes associated with shock waves, and material jetting caused by shock waves. This algorithm can analyze images that exhibit a wide range of physical phenomena because it does not rely on comparison to a model. LADA enables analysis...

Development of coherent Raman measurements of temperature in condensed phases

We report theoretical considerations and preliminary data on various forms of coherent Raman spectroscopy that have been considered as candidates for measurement of temperature in condensed phase experiments with picosecond time resolution. Due to the inherent broadness and congestion of vibrational features in condensed phase solids, particularly at high temperatures and pressures, only approaches that rely on the ratio of anti-Stokes to Stokes spectral features are considered. Methods that rely on resolution of vibrational progressions, calibration of frequency shifts with temperature and pressure in reference experiments, or detailed comparison to calculation are inappropriate or impossible for our applications. In particular, we consider femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy (FSRS), femtosecond/picosecond hybrid coherent Raman spectroscopy (multiplex CARS), and optical heterodyne detected femtosecond Raman induced Kerr Effect spectroscopy (OHD-FRIKES). We show that only FSRS has the ability to measure temperature via an anti-Stokes to Stokes ratio of peaks.