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Reaction kinetics in uniform supersonic flow
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<p>Reaction kinetics in uniform supersonic flow is an <a href="/facts/Experiment/esltM54f">experiment</a> investigating chemical reactions taking place at very low <a href="/facts/Temperature/QyGe4gmj">temperatures</a>. </p><p>The technique involves the expansion of a gas or mixture of gases through a <a href="/facts/De_Laval_nozzle/5LcDcs69">de Laval nozzle</a> from a high-pressure reservoir into a vacuum chamber. As it expands, the nozzle collimates the gas into a uniform <a href="/facts/Supersonic/D3VpzmlC">supersonic</a> beam, which is essentially collision-free and has a temperature that, in the centre-of-mass frame, can be significantly below that of the reservoir gas. Each nozzle produces a characteristic temperature. This way, any temperature between room temperature and about 10 K can be achieved. </p>