Application of Single-Pulse Broadband CARS to Shock-Tube Experiments

Abstract

Coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy is a powerful diagnostic tool in hostile environments when measurements of temperature and species concentration are required, and when traditional methods for some reason cannot be applied. Such conditions occur in those non-stationary gas-phase chemical reactions in which nitrogen plays a significant role. In this case, CARS provides information about the most important parameters of the process with a sufficient temporal and spatial resolution. In our experiments, the broadband CARS technique is used to obtain an evolution of the vibrational distribution function of N ₂ in the process of thermal dissociation of nitrogen-dioxide behind a reflected shock wave.