Consideration of the mechanism of microwave emission due to material destruction

Microwave emission due to material destruction by hypervelocity impact with several kilometers per second was found at 2 and 22 GHz, and its power was calibrated in the laboratory for the first time ever. In this paper, we first summarize the experimental results in relation to the mechanism of microwave emission. We then propose three kinds of hypotheses on the mechanism, which are based on the dynamic relative motion of an atom's nucleus and the outermost electron and lead to dipole radiation. The deduced equation represents the power dependence on the target's thickness, which agrees well with the experimental result. The models were then numerically analyzed in consideration of the experimental data. In the most promising model, a projectile molecule flicks the nucleus out and the outermost electron is left out of the orbit of the atom. Accordingly, the material is polarized or ionized to form an impulsive dipole, which leads to microwave emission. This model is compatible with material ionization by mechanical excitation, such as rubbing and peeling, or triboelectricity. The calculated energy shows good agreement with the experimental value. On the other hand, if the outermost electron remains within the gravity field of the nucleus, the calculated and experimental results do not agree with each other. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3499291]