Shock Diamond
Shock diamonds (also known as Mach diamonds, Mach disks, Mach rings, doughnut tails or thrust diamonds) are a formation of standing wave patterns that appears in the supersonic exhaust plume of an aerospace propulsion system, such as a supersonic jet engine, rocket, ramjet, or scramjet, when it is operated in an atmosphere. The diamonds are formed from a complex flow field and are visible due to the ignition of excess fuel. Mach diamonds (or disks) are named for Ernst Mach, the physicist who first described them.
Read more about Shock Diamond: Mechanism, Alternative Sources
Famous quotes containing the words shock and/or diamond:
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—Gwendolyn Brooks (b. 1917)
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—John Davidson (1857–1909)