The Hypervelocity Impact Facility at the University of Kent: Recent Upgrades and Specialized Capabilities.

Abstract

Impact events are ubiquitous across the entire Solar System; craters are observed from Mercury to distant Pluto. This process has been occurring since the Solar System formed and is still occurring today. During such events, which typically occur at speeds measured in kilometers per second, extreme pressures and elevated temperatures are created. In order to understand the physical processes that occur under such conditions, we have been using a two-stage light gas gun to recreate hypervelocity impacts on a range of targets that are representative (in both composition and physical condition) of the surfaces of all objects within the Solar System. Within this paper we describe the advances we have made in light-gas gun technology, specifically focusing on the University of Kent’s light gas-gun, over the past 30 years which have led to significant advancements in Planetary Science and the general field of shock physics.