Holographic interferometry of exploding wires

A short (2-nsec) pulse ruby laser has been used to make holographic interferograms of exploding-wire events. At atmospheric pressure the interferograms exhibit both shock waves and ionization. In a vacuum the vaporization and subsequent ionization of the wire are evident. At selected times after initiation, spatial electron density profiles have been calculated via an Abel inversion, with peak densities approaching 1019 cm−3.