Time-resolved spectroscopic observations of shockinduced silicate ionization

We conducted time-resolved spectroscopic observations of shock-heated quartz and forsterite using a high-power laser. The results revealed that ionization occur easily under shockinduced warm dense conditions. We compare the obtained temperatures on the Hugoniot with a few theories. The comparison suggests that the contribution of shock-induced ionization to the isochoric specific heat during shock compression is ~1 kb/atom for quartz and forsterite. Shock-induced ionization and subsequent electron recombination leads to a larger amount of vapor and may lead to dynamical and chemical evolution of silicate vapor clouds different from our current understandings.