Iain S. Burns

Wide-bandwidth mode-hop-free tuning of extended-cavity GaN diode lasers

We present a new approach for extended-cavity diode-laser tuning to achieve wide mode-hop-free tuning ranges. By using a multiple piezoactuated grating mount, the cavity length and grating angle in the laser can be adjusted independently, allowing mode-hop-free tuning without the need for a mechanically optimized pivot-point mount. Furthermore, synchronized diode injection-current tuning allows diode lasers without antireflection coatings to be employed. In combination these two techniques make the construction of a cheap, efficient, and easily optimized extended-cavity diode laser possible. A theoretical analysis is presented for optimal control of piezoactuator displacements and injection current to achieve the widest possible mode-hop-free tuning ranges, and a comparison is made with measurements. The scheme is demonstrated for blue and violet GaN lasers operating at approximately 450 nm and approximately 410 nm, for which continuous tuning ranges exceeding 90 GHz have been achieved. Examples of applications of these lasers are also given.

Measurements of the indium hyperfine structure in an atmospheric-pressure flame by use of diode-laser-induced fluorescence

We report on what we believe is the first demonstration of laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) in flames by use of diode lasers. Indium atoms seeded into an atmospheric-pressure flame at trace concentrations are excited by a blue GaN laser operating near 410 nm. The laser is mounted in an external-cavity configuration, and the hyperfine spectrum of the 5(2)P1/2 --> 6(2)S1/2 transition is captured at high resolution in single-wavelength sweeps lasting less than one tenth of a second. The research demonstrates the potential of diode-based LIF for practical diagnostics of high-temperature reactive flows.

High-repetition-rate combustion thermometry with two-line atomic fluorescence excited by diode lasers

We report on kilohertz-repetition-rate flame temperature measurements performed using blue diode lasers. Two-line atomic fluorescence was performed by using diode lasers emitting at around 410 and 451 nm to probe seeded atomic indium. At a repetition rate of 3.5 kHz our technique offers a precision of 1.5% at 2000 K in laminar methane/air flames. The spatial resolution is better than 150 microm, while the setup is compact and easy to operate, at much lower cost than alternative techniques. By modeling the spectral overlap between the locked laser and the probed indium lines we avoid the need for any calibration of the measurements. We demonstrate the capability of the technique for time-resolved measurements in an acoustically perturbed flame. The technique is applicable in flames with a wide range of compositions including sooting flames.

On the improvement of two-dimensional curvature computation and its application to turbulent premixed flame correlations

Measurement of curvature of the flamefront of premixed turbulent flames is important for the validation of numerical models for combustion. In this work, curvature is measured from contours that outline the flamefront, which are generated from laser-induced fluorescence images. The contours are inherently digitized, resulting in pixelation effects that lead to difficulties in computing curvature of the flamefront accurately. A common approach is to fit functions locally to short sections along the flame contour, and this approach is also followed in this work; the method helps smoothen the pixelation before curvature is measured. However, the length and degree of the polynomial, and hence the amount of smoothing, must be correctly set in order to maximize the precision and accuracy of the curvature measurements. Other researchers have applied polynomials of different orders and over different segment lengths to circles of known curvature as a test to determine the appropriate choice of polynomial; it is shown here that this method results in a sub-optimal choice of polynomial function. Here, we determine more suitable polynomial functions through use of a circle whose radius is sinusoidally modulated. We show that this leads to a more consistent and reliable choice for the local polynomial functions fitted to experimental data. A polynomial function thus determined is then applied to flame contour data to measure curvature of experimentally acquired flame contours. The results show that there is an enhancement in local flame speed at sections of the flamefront with a non-zero curvature, and this agrees with numerical models.

Temperature response of an acoustically-forced turbulent lean premixed flame: a quantitative experimental determination

Temperature measurements have been taken on an acoustically forced lean premixed turbulent bluff-body stabilized flame. The burner used in this study is a test-bed to investigate thermoacoustic instability in gas-turbine engines at the University of Cambridge. Numerous experiments have been performed on the burner, one of which used two-line OH planar laser induced fluorescence to measure temperature. Here, we employ vibrational coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) of nitrogen as an alternative to measure temperature, circumventing the limitations of the former method. The use of nitrogen CARS avoids the problem of probing regions of the flame with low OH concentrations that resulted in erroneous temperature. Such an application of CARS showed that the results from previous efforts were systematically biased up to 47% close to the bluff-body. We also critically review the limitations of CARS used in our experiments, pertaining to spatial resolution and associated biasing further downstream from the bluff-body. Using the more accurate results from this work, more up-to-date computational fluid dynamical (CFD) models of the burner can be validated, with the aim of improved understanding and prediction of thermoacoustic instability in gas turbines.

Diode laser induced fluorescence for gas-phase diagnostics

Abstract We highlight the capabilities and potential of diode laser induced fluorescence for measurements in gas-phase reacting flows. Many applications of diode lasers in practical sensing are based on absorption spectroscopy. Fluorescence-based diagnostics possess similar advantages in terms of practicality and implementation-cost but additionally are capable of achieving excellent spatial resolution. Diode laser fluorescence instruments have been employed for high-sensitivity trace gas monitoring in applications ranging from plasma physics to atmospheric chemistry. This article begins by describing the UV-visible diode laser technology used to perform fluorescence. The principles of diode laser induced fluorescence are then reviewed and a comparison is made with absorption spectroscopy. Examples are given of concentration measurements of both atomic and molecular trace gases. Recent work on using diode laser induced atomic fluorescence for precision measurements of flame temperature is also reviewed. We conclude by a discussion of future opportunities for diode laser fluorescence spectroscopy drawing attention to interesting potential target species as well as novel application areas, such as monitoring of synthesis processes for nanomaterials.

Application of continuous-wave cavity ring-down spectroscopy to laminar flames

In this paper, we describe the application of diode-laser continuous-wave cavity ring-down spectroscopy (cw-CRDS) to in-situ flame diagnostics. Spectra of the P17e acetylene feature at 1535.4 nm were recorded in a premixed laminar ethylene/air flame. The overall absorption of the feature was measured to be ≈1.5 × 10-4 cm-1, which is a short distance above the reaction zone for a flame fuel equivalence ratio of 1.66, and the minimum detection limit (3σ) of the system was calculated to be 1.2 × 10-5 cm-1. This demonstrates the potential of the technique for the measurement of weakly absorbing species in flames. Finally, we discuss the advantages and limitations of the cw-CRDS technique for flame measurements.

Temperature Imaging in Low-pressure Flames Using Diode Lasers

We present a calibration free technique for spatially resolved imaging of flame temperature. Its application is demonstrated in a low pressure premixed methane flame seeded with indium. Temperature measurements over a range of equivalence ratios are investigated.

Diode laser induced fluorescence spectroscopy for combustion thermometry

This paper describes the first use of novel blue diode lasers to make temperature measurements based on fluorescence. As a demonstration of this principle, indium atoms were seeded as a probe species into flames and the resulting diode laser induced fluorescence allowed an accurate determination of the temperature at a point. This permits spatially resolved measurements to be made, which are impossible to achieve using the established absorption based sensors. The technique opens up a range of application possibilities in dynamic and inhomogeneous reacting flows.