SHOCK WAVE TECHNIQUES FOR THE EXAMINATION OF PHASE TRANSITIONS

Shock wave techniques for the examination of certain types of transformations are briefly reviewed, both from the standpoint of theory and experiment. Examples of various sorts of transitions are given, including structural changes in materials of geophysical interest, melting and electronic transformations in the rare earths and other elements, and pressure-induced cross-linking in a number of polymers. Other types of transformations observable using shock waves but which do not depend on velocity discontinuities for their detection are reviewed.