Abstract
Nearly all illuminating classic hypersonic flow theories address aerodynamic phenomena as a perfect gas in the high-speed range and at the upper limit of continuum gas domain. The hypersonic flow is quantitatively defined by the Mach number independent principle, which is derived from the asymptotes of the Rankine-Hugoniot relationship. However, most hypersonic flows encounter strong shock-wave compressions resulting in a high enthalpy gas environment that always associates with nonequilibrium thermodynamic and quantum chemical-physics phenomena. Under this circumstance, the theoretic linkage between the microscopic particle dynamics and macroscopic thermodynamics properties of gas is lost. When the air mixture is ionized to become an electrically conducting medium, the governing physics now ventures into the regimes of quantum physics and electromagnetics. Therefore, the hypersonic flows are no longer a pure aerodynamics subject but a multidisciplinary science. In order to better understand the realistic hypersonic flows, all pertaining disciplines such as the nonequilibrium chemical kinetics, quantum physics, radiative heat transfer, and electromagnetics need to bring forth.
High-enthalpy hypersonic flows
