Assessing Laser Augmentation for Flight Relevant Hypersonic Material Response

This work evaluates how well the Energy Matter Interaction Tunnel (EMIT) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory reproduces flight relevant material response in laser augmented hypersonic testing. A coupled computational and experimental framework is developed to assess key response metrics for carbon-based materials, including surface temperature, heating rate, thermal gradients, species generation, and recession. The approach combines reacting fluid dynamics, a multiphysics finite element material response framework, finite rate gas surface chemistry, and a state dependent optical heating model that captures evolving absorption and emission. Comparisons with EMIT diagnostics indicate that laser augmentation can reproduce important thermal response features, but predictive fidelity depends strongly on optical properties, material state, and gas surface interaction.