Physical Categories of Detectors

Detectors that have been widely used for materials studies can be conveniently categorized by the physical phenomena utilized in the measurement as piezoelectric, piezoresistant, electromagnetic, or optical. In each, the phenomena are capable of providing a signal in a time short compared to changes in characteristics of wave profiles. Given the desired time resolution of one nanosecond, the detectors must be massless.  

Optical devices or optical systems have provided most of the available strong shock data and were the primary tools used in the early shock-compression investigations. They are still the most widely used systems in fundamental studies of high explosives. The earliest systems, the flash gap and mirror systems on samples, provided discrete or continuous measurements of displacement versus time. 

Although VISAR systems are expensive, and require significant commit- 

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In this chapter shock-loading methods measurement of wave profiles physical categories of detectors shock-compression gauges advances in measurement technology. 

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