Advanced optical diagnostic techniques relevant to propulsion were investigated. The techniques studied were based on laser spectroscopy, with emphasis on spectrally-resolved absorption and laser-induced fluorescence (LIF). Laser sources included tunable cw near-infrared diode lasers and tunable (or fixed-wavelength) pulsed lasers operated at ultraviolet (UV) or infrared (IR) wavelengths. The cw lasers were spectrally narrow, allowing study of innovative diagnostics based on spectral lineshapes, while the pulsed lasers provided intense bursts of photons needed for techniques based on LIF. Accomplishments of note included: (1) development of a new imaging diagnostic based on infrared planar laser-induced fluorescence (IR PLIF), (2) investigations of quantitative ultraviolet (UV) PLIF of NO and CO2 in high-pressure combustion environments, (3) the development of a new temperature diagnostic using UV absorption of CO2 for high-temperature combustion environments, (4) development of advanced wavelength-multiplexed diode laser absorption sensing of non-uniform temperature distributions, gas temperature in scramjet flows, and tunable mid-IR-based fuel sensing, and (5) further development of quantitative tracers to image fuel distribution using ketones and the aromatic toluene. The full spectrum of results was published in thirty-eight papers in the AIAA and peer reviewed literature, seven PhD theses, and forty-three presentations and invited lectures.

Special issue of the 7th International Conference on Tunable Diode Laser Spectroscopy, held July 13-17, 2009 in Zermatt, Switzerland. The purpose of these meetings was to report and discuss the progress that has been made in the technical development of diode lasers and their applications in areas of fundamental research as well as real world applications of the technology. This was accomplished in a format encouraging strong interaction between researchers, device developers and semiconductor laser manufacturers. The relevant technologies include the original lead salt lasers, near-infrared diode lasers and the latest developments in mid-infrared quantum and interband cascade lasers, as well as nonlinear optical schemes.

The development of diagnostics based on laser-absorption spectroscopy for combustion applications has been an important and active field of research over the past two decades due to the advantages of this non-intrusive optical sensing technique compared to traditional sampling-based sensing methods. Tunable diode laser (TDL) sensors, in particular, have shown the ability to provide in situ, time-resolved, line-of-sight measurements of temperature, gas species concentration, velocity, density, mass flux, and pressure in a variety of combustion environments. This thesis explores three new areas of TDL research: (a) extended near-infrared (NIR) diagnostics, (b) sensing under high-pressures, and (c) applications to chemical kinetics. Water vapor (H2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) are attractive sensing targets for hydrocarbon-fueled systems as they are primary combustion products and their concentrations can be interpretrated to indicate combustion progress and efficiency. Both these gases have absorption spectra in the infrared (IR) region. Most previous TDL absorption sensors were designed to exploit robust telecommunications diode lasers and optical fiber technology in the 1.3-1.6 [mu]m (NIR) wavelength region. Recent developments in semiconductor diode-laser technology have extended the range of continuous wave (CW) room-temperature single-mode diode lasers to 2.9 [mu]m, allowing access to stronger vibrational bands of H2O and CO2 in the extended-NIR region. The first combustion diagnostics in the extended-NIR wavelength were demonstrated as part of this thesis work. The sensors were designed by selecting optimal transitions and then measuring the pertinent spectroscopic parameters in controlled laboratory environements. These sensors were then tested in the combustion environments of a flat flame and shock tube to validate their performance. These new sensors provide enhanced sensitivity and improved accuracy compared to previous TDL diagnostics. As part of this work, a novel diagnostic based on wavelength modulation spectroscopy (WMS) of CO2 was developed to make precise measurements of temperature behind reflected shock waves. This temperature diagnostic achieved an unprecedented uncertainty of

Tighter regulations of harmful substances such as NOx, CO, heavy metals, particles, emissions from commercial plants and automobiles reflect a growing demand for lowering the anthropogenic burdens on the environment. It is equally important to monitor controlling factors to improve the operation of industrial machinery and plants. Among the many me

Tunable diode laser spectroscopy (TDLS) is a widely used technique for the measurement of gas species and offers in-situ operation, accuracy and faster response time compared to other optical and non-optical gas sensing techniques.The work in this thesis focusses on the measurement of CO2 in the harsh environment of a gas turbine engine (GTE). The work is part of a much larger initiative called Fibre Laser Imaging of gas Turbine Exhaust Species (FLITES) aimed at obtaining concentration distributions of gas species such as CO2 and NO, unburnt hydrocarbons, and soot in a gas turbine exhaust plume using optical tomography. In the FLITES system, a thulium doped fibre amplifier (TDFA) is used to boost the optical power output from a 2 mW, 1997 nm, multi-quantum well distributed feedback (DFB-MQW) laser to feed 126 measurement channels arranged in dodecagon geometry for optical tomography. Hence, agile TDLS techniques need to be developed which can be scaled up to the multi-channel measurement system.Attributed by the interference from noise in the measurement environment of a GTE, phase sensitive detection using a lock-in amplifier (LIA) has to be employed where an additional current modulation is applied to the DFB laser, creating an instantaneous intensity modulated output and a delayed wavelength modulation (WM) output. This technique falls under a metrology branch known as wavelength modulation spectroscopy (WMS).The unknown measurement conditions expected in a GTE engine necessitates the use of calibration-free WMS techniques for the simultaneous measurement of gas concentration and temperature. Calibration-free techniques in WMS have been developed at the Centre for Microsystems and Photonics (CMP) of Strathclyde University. These are known as the phasor decomposition method (PDM) and the residual amplitude modulation (RAM) technique. They employ the signals obtained using the first harmonic demodulation of the WMS signals, followed by post processing to recover the gas absorption line shape. It was known in the CMP group that the accuracy of these techniques was limited by the variation in the laser modulation parameters such as the phase of the wavelength modulation relative to the intensity modulation (WM-IM phase lag) and the wavelength modulation amplitude across the laser current scan.The solutions to two problems are addressed in this thesis, viz. the implementation of correction procedures to account for the variation in the laser modulation parameters across the current scan and the need for a calibration-free technique for the measurement of CO2 in a GTE exhaust plume scalable to a multi-channel measurement system.Accurate measurements of the wavelength modulation parameters were made across the current scan and correction algorithms were implemented to compensate for its effects on the recovered gas absorption line shape.The gas spectral parameters were measured in the lab for the R48 absorption line of CO2 near 1997.2 nm at the higher temperatures (up to 500°C) expected in a GTE exhaust plume, using a heated gas cell. A Fourier expansion model was developed for the WMS signals which employ the measured laser modulation and gas spectral parameters. 1f normalised 2f WMS technique was chosen as the calibration-free measurement approach due to the advantages of cancellation of the transmission fluctuations as well as signal normalisation. The 2f/1f measurement technique was validated in the lab at higher temperatures for the simultaneous recovery of the CO2 concentration and temperature with an accuracy of 3.39 % and 3.72 %, respectively. Subsequently, field campaigns were conducted at the Rolls-Royce test facility at East Kilbride, yielding concentration and temperature values having good correlation to the engine operating conditions such as the throttle and core temperature.Multi-channel tomographic measurements were conducted on the test phantoms at INTA, Madrid, using TFLAS-WMS (tunable fibre laser absorption spectroscopy). Accurate concentration images could be recovered using tomographic reconstruction algorithms.

In the new edition the editors have preserved the basic concept and structure, with the involvement of some new authors - all recognized experts in laser spectroscopy. Each chapter addresses a different technique, providing a review and analysis of the current status, and reporting some of the latest achievements. With the key formulas and methods detailed in many sections, this text represents a practicable handbook of its subject. It will be a valuable tool both for specialists to keep abreast of developments and for newcomers to the field needing an accessible introduction to specific methods of laser spectroscopy - and also as a resource for primary references.