Molecular scale shock response: electronic absorption spectroscopy of laser shocked explosives

Single shot spectroscopies are being employed to answer questions fundamental to shock initiation of explosives. The goals are to: 1) determine the extent to which electronic excitations are, or are not, involved in shock induced reactions, 2) test the multiphonon up-pumping hypothesis in explosives, and 3) provide data on the initial evolution of temperature and chemistry following the shock loading of explosives on scales amenable to comparison to molecular dynamics simulations. The data presented in this talk are focused on answering the first question. Recent experimental results measuring the time history of ultraviolet/visible absorption spectroscopy of laser shocked explosive thin films and single crystals will be discussed.