Significant milestones for quantitative laser-based diagnostics of reacting flows were reached on two separate tasks: (1) the extension of laser-based diagnostics to shorter vacuum ultraviolet (vuv) wavelengths and (2) the development of amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) diagnostics for light atoms. For the first task, phase-matching was applied to produce significant increases in vuv laser intensities, producing over 5 mu J at Lyman alpha (121.6 nm) in a mixture of krypton and argon. Factors affecting the long-term stability of vuv powers were studied. The diagnostic potential of two-photon excited ASE of atomic hydrogen and oxygen was explored in a variety of low-pressure flames. Direct ASE gain measurements gave oxygen concentrations. A model of the ASE signal was developed, and a new understanding of both ASE and laser-induced fluorescence of two-photon excited atoms emerged from this model.

This thesis is a review of the author's work in the field of laser diagnostics of combustion processes.

Non-intrusive laser diagnostics for the spatially and temporally resolved measurement of temperature, chemical composition, and flow parameters have emerged over the last few decades as major tools for the study of both fundamental and applied combustion science. Many of the important advances in the field can be attributed to the discussions and ideas emanating from this meeting. This conference, originating in 1981 and held biennially, focuses on laser-based methods for measurement of both macroscopic parameters and the underlying microscale physical and chemical processes. Applications are discussed primarily to elucidate new chemical and physical issues and/or interferences that need to be addressed to improve the accuracy and precision of the various diagnostic approaches or to challenge the community of diagnosticians to invent new measurement techniques. Combustion environments present special challenges to the optical diagnostics community as they address measurements relevant to turbulence, spray and mixture formation, or turbulence/chemistry interactions important in practical combustion systems as well as fundamental chemical reactions in stationary laminar flames. The diagnostics considered may be generally classed as being incoherent, where the signals are radiated isotropically, or coherent, where the signals are generated in a directed, beam-like fashion. Both of the foregoing may employ either electronic or Raman resonance enhancement or a combination of both. Prominent incoherent approaches include laser induced fluorescence (LIF), spontaneous Raman scattering, Rayleigh scattering, laser induced incandescence, molecular flow tagging, and Mie scattering and their two- and three-dimensional imaging variants. Coherent approaches include coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS), degenerate four wave mixing (DFWM), polarization spectroscopy (PS), laser induced grating spectroscopy (LIGS) and laser-based absorption spectroscopy. Spectroscopic modelling and validation are key elements to extract accurate parameter measurements and discussions focusing on key energy transfer processes, collisional models, and lineshapes. The properties and behaviour of lasers, optical arrangements and techniques, spectrally-selective and dispersive instruments and detectors are also important determinants of successful measurements and are discussed in detail. Recent developments in the conference have highlighted the application of techniques developed for combustion research that find application in other areas such as biological, atmospheric, chemical engineering or plasma processes.

Updated and expanded from the original Japanese edition, Laser-Aided Diagnostics of Gases and Plasmas takes a unique approach in treating laser-aided diagnostics. The book unifies the subject by joining applications instead of describing each application as a totally separate system. In taking this approach, it highlights the relative strengths of

Partial contents: Supercritical droplet behavior; Fundamentals of acoustic instabilities in liquid-propellant rockets; Modeling liquid jet atomization proceses; Liquid-propellant droplets dynamics and combustions in supercritical forced convective environments; Contributions of shear coaxial injectors to liquid rocket motor combustion instabilities; High pressure combustion studies under combustion driven oscillatory flow conditions; Droplet collision on liquid propellant combustion; Combustion and plumes; Development of a collisional radiative emission model for strongly nonequilibrium flows; Energy transfer processes in the production of excited states in reacting rocket flows; modeling nonequilibrium radiation in high altitude plumes; kinetics of plume radiation, and of HEDMs and metallic fuels combustion; Nonsteady combustion mechanisms of advanced solid propellants; Chemical mechanisms at the burning surface. p15