Johan Hult

A Fourth-Order Runge–Kutta in the Interaction Picture Method for Simulating Supercontinuum Generation in Optical Fibers

An efficient algorithm, which exhibits a fourth-order global accuracy, for the numerical solution of the normal and generalized nonlinear Schrodinger equations is presented. It has applications for studies of nonlinear pulse propagation and spectral broadening in optical fibers. Simulation of supercontinuum generation processes, in particular, places high demands on numerical accuracy, which makes efficient high-order schemes attractive. The algorithm that is presented here is an adaptation for use in the nonlinear optics field of the fourth-order Runge-Kutta in the Interaction Picture (RK4IP) method, which was originally developed for studies on Bose-Einstein condensates. The performance of the RK4IP method is validated and compared to a number of conventional methods by modeling both the propagation of a second-order soliton and the generation of supercontinuum radiation. It exhibits the expected global fourth-order accuracy for both problems studied and is the most accurate and efficient of the methods tested.

Cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy of multiple trace gas species using a supercontinuum radiation source

Supercontinuum radiation sources are attractive for spectroscopic applications owing to their broad wavelength coverage, which enables spectral signatures of multiple species to be detected simultaneously. Here we report the first use of a supercontinuum radiation source for broadband trace gas detection using a cavity enhanced absorption technique. Spectra were recorded at bandwidths of up to 100 nm, encompassing multiple absorption bands of H(2)O, O(2) and O(2)-O(2). The same instrument was also used to make quantitative measurements of NO(2) and NO(3). For NO(3) a detection limit of 3 parts-per-trillion in 2 s was achieved, which corresponds to an effective 3sigma sensitivity of 2.4 x 10(-9) cm(-1)Hz(-1/2). Our results demonstrate that a conceptually simple and robust instrument is capable of highly sensitive broadband absorption measurements.

The Hcci Combustion Process in a Single Cycle-High-Speed Fuel Tracer Lif and Chemiluminescence Imaging

The HCCI Combustion Process in a Single Cycle - High-Speed Fuel Tracer LIF and Chemiluminescence Imaging

High bandwidth absorption spectroscopy with a dispersed supercontinuum source.

An optical gas sensor is presented, making use of a dispersed supercontinuum source, capable of acquiring broad bandwidth spectra at ultrahigh wavelength sweep and repetition rates. Wavelength sweeps from 1100 nm to 1700 nm can be performed in 800 ns at a spectral resolution of 40 pm. This is comparable to line-widths of molecular spectra at atmospheric pressure. Quantitative measurements are presented of CH(4) employing 80 nm wide sweeps over the P- Q- and R-branches of the 2nu(3) transition near 1665 nm, at rates exceeding 100 kHz. The effective acquisition rate is determined by the amount of averaging required, and the effect of this averaging on observed precision is investigated.

Effect of heat release on turbulence and scalar-turbulence interaction in premixed combustion

Stereoscopic particle image velocimetry and planar laser induced fluorescence measurements of hydroxyl radical are simultaneously applied to measure, respectively, local turbulence intensities and flame front position in premixed ethylene-air flames stabilized on a bluff body. Three different equivalence ratios, 0.55, 0.63, and 0.7, and three different Reynolds numbers, 14 000, 17 000, and 21 000, are considered. Laser measurements were made for five different flame configurations within the ranges above and in the corresponding cold flows. By comparing the measurements of the cold and the corresponding hot flows, the effect of heat release on the turbulence and its interaction with the flame front is studied. All the flames are in the thin reaction zone regime. Typical flow features forming behind the bluff body are observed in the cold flows, whereas in the reacting flows the mean velocities and thus the shape, size, and characteristics of the recirculating eddy behind the bluff body are strongly influenced by the heat release. The strong acceleration across the mean flame and the radial outward shift of the stagnation plane of the recirculating eddy yield negative radial velocities which are absent in the corresponding cold flow cases. The spatial intermittency of the flame front leads to an increase in the turbulent kinetic energy. Although a decrease in the mean and rms values of the strain rate tensor eij components is observed for the reacting case as one would expect, the local flow acceleration across the flame front leads to a substantial increase in the skewness and the kurtosis of the probability density functions (PDFs) of eij components. The turbulence-scalar interaction is studied by analyzing the orientation of the flame front normal with the eigenvectors of eij. The PDFs of this orientation clearly show that the normals have an increased tendency to align with the extensive strain rate, which implies that the scalar gradients are destroyed by the turbulence as the scalar isosurfaces are pulled apart. This result questions the validity of passive scalar turbulence physics commonly used for premixed flame modeling. However, the influence of Lewis number on this alignment behavior is not clear at this time.Stereoscopic particle image velocimetry and planar laser induced fluorescence measurements of hydroxyl radical are simultaneously applied to measure, respectively, local turbulence intensities and flame front position in premixed ethylene-air flames stabilized on a bluff body. Three different equivalence ratios, 0.55, 0.63, and 0.7, and three different Reynolds numbers, 14 000, 17 000, and 21 000, are considered. Laser measurements were made for five different flame configurations within the ranges above and in the corresponding cold flows. By comparing the measurements of the cold and the corresponding hot flows, the effect of heat release on the turbulence and its interaction with the flame front is studied. All the flames are in the thin reaction zone regime. Typical flow features forming behind the bluff body are observed in the cold flows, whereas in the reacting flows the mean velocities and thus the shape, size, and characteristics of the recirculating eddy behind the bluff body are strongly influe...

Application of a high-repetition-rate laser diagnostic system for single-cycle-resolved imaging in internal combustion engines

High-repetition-rate laser-induced fluorescence measurements of fuel and OH concentrations in internal combustion engines are demonstrated. Series of as many as eight fluorescence images, with a temporal resolution ranging from 10 micros to 1 ms, are acquired within one engine cycle. A multiple-laser system in combination with a multiple-CCD camera is used for cycle-resolved imaging in spark-ignition, direct-injection stratified-charge, and homogeneous-charge compression-ignition engines. The recorded data reveal unique information on cycle-to-cycle variations in fuel transport and combustion. Moreover, the imaging system in combination with a scanning mirror is used to perform instantaneous three-dimensional fuel-concentration measurements.

SPARK IGNITION OF TURBULENT METHANE/AIR MIXTURES REVEALED BY TIME-RESOLVED PLANAR LASER-INDUCED FLUORESCENCE AND DIRECT NUMERICAL SIMULATIONS

By use of high-speed planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) imaging, the evolution of turbulent reactive flows was recorded and studied in real time in a filmlike manner. The technique was used to track the concentration field of the OH radical, which was produced during spark ignition of a turbulent methane/air mixture. The results were compared qualitatively to a two-dimensional direct numerical simulation of the same system using a detailed chemical mechanism and a detailed transport model.

Three-dimensional laser induced fluorescence of fuel distributions in an HCCI engine

Three-dimensional imaging of fuel tracer planar laser-induced fluorescence in a homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine is presented. A high-speed multiple Nd:YAG laser and detection system, in combination, with a scanning mirror, are used to collect eight images, with an equidistant separation of 0.5 mm. Three-dimensional isoconcentration surfaces calculated from the data are visualized. Three-dimensional imaging offers new opportunities to study different combustion events, specifically the topology of flame structures. For example, it is possible to distinguish if separate islands in a fluorescence image really are separate or if it is an effect from wrinkling in and out of the laser sheet. The PLIF images were also analyzed by identifying five intensity ranges corresponding to increasing degrees of reaction progress. The gradual fuel consumption and thus combustion was then analyzed by calculating the volumetric fraction of these intensity ranges for different crank angle positions. The occurrence of multiple isolated ignition spots and the observed gradual decrease in fuel concentration indicates that HCCI combustion relies on distributed reactions and not flame propagation. (Less)

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.

Dispersion Measurement in Optical Fibers Using Supercontinuum Pulses

The chromatic dispersion of an optical fiber is measured using a time-of-flight technique, based on temporally and spectrally resolving a dispersed broadband pulse, on which a spectral fringe pattern has been imposed using an etalon. The technique employs broadband supercontinuum radiation, generated by launching picosecond pulses from a fiber laser into a photonic-crystal fiber. It allows the dispersion of highly dispersive optical fibers and components to be measured with a high spectral resolution over a wide wavelength region. The technique is demonstrated by measuring the dispersion of a dispersion-compensating module over its entire 400-nm transmission band with a subnanometer spectral resolution