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Hisham Ali
Assistant Professor, Smead Aerospace
Friday, Sept. 18 | 10:40 A.M. | AERO 111

Abstract: A critical phase of both spaceflight at Earth and exploration of planetary bodies is hypersonic atmospheric entry. During this hypersonic phase of flight, there exists a highly heated, ionized plasma flow around the vehicle driven by the conversion of kinetic energy to thermal energy. Through application of a magnetic field from within a vehicle, a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flow interaction is possible with this entry plasma to benefit hypersonic vehicle performance, with the potential to expand operating envelopes by augmenting aerodynamic control forces and reducing aerothermal heating loads. Ìý

However, experimental demonstrations of this type of MHD interaction in conditions and configurations relevant to hypersonic entry systems are extremely limited, with few test facilities capable of creating relevant conditions in the global research community. Ìý

In establishing the Magnetoaerodynamics and Aerospace Plasmas Laboratory at the University of Colorado Boulder, I have aimed to address this gap through the multi-year design, development, and commissioning several unique radio-frequency (RF) inductively coupled plasma (ICP) tunnel facilities with power levels up to 40kW. These facilities produce high temperature, chemically pure, continuous plasma flows within vacuum chambers to simulate plasmas formed during high altitude hypersonic entry flight for Earth and other planetary bodies such as Mars, Venus, and the Ice Giants in ground-based test facilities.Ìý

Overall, the facility is one of less than five such high power RF inductively coupled plasma tunnel facilities in US academia, and its uniquely high vacuum pumping capacity can maintain lower chamber base pressures for simulating high altitude hypersonic flight environments. ÌýThe laboratory includes access for various plasma, fluid, and thermal diagnostics to facilitate hypersonics experimental investigations with a unique focus on magnetohydrodynamics for hypersonics and aerospace plasmas—magnetoaerodynamics.Ìý

In my talk, I will discuss mission design studies quantifying the impact of magnetoaerodynamics on hypersonic entry systems as well as several experimental studies leveraging our unique plasma tunnel facilities, including fundamental studies of the aerothermochemistry for non-equilibrium expanding plasma flows, aerothermal environment testing for hypersonic thermal protection system materials, ground-based experimental investigations of RF signal propagation through hypersonic entry-relevant plasmas, and novel experimental studies of MHD interactions such as aerodynamic force augmentation and aerothermal heating mitigation.

Bio: Hisham Ali is an Assistant Professor in the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences at The University of Colorado Boulder.

Prior to joining ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Æƽâ°æÏÂÔØ, Prof. Ali was a Member of Technical Staff at The Aerospace Corporation Colorado Springs and a Research Engineer and Postdoctoral Fellow at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Prof. Ali earned a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering with minors in Mathematics and Computer Based Honors from The University of Alabama in May 2013 and earned his Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy in Aerospace Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in May 2015 and August 2019, respectively.Ìý

Prof. Ali is a recipient of the 2026 Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award, and his research team includes nine PhD students with interests in hypersonics and aerospace plasmas with numerous national fellowship awards from NASA, NSF, and Industry. Prof. Ali’s current research interests are in hypersonics, plasma physics, magnetohydrodynamics, and planetary entry systems.