Temperature imaging in low-pressure flames using diode laser two-line atomic fluorescence employing a novel indium seeding technique

The use of diode lasers for spatially resolved temperature imaging is demonstrated in low-pressure pre-mixed methane-air flames using two-line atomic fluorescence of seeded indium atoms. This work features the advantages of using compact diode lasers as the excitation sources with the benefits of two-dimensional planar imaging, which is normally only performed with high-power pulsed lasers. A versatile and reliable seeding technique with minimal impact on flame properties is used to introduce indium atoms into the combustion environment for a wide range of flame equivalence ratios. A spatial resolution of around 210 mu m for this calibration-free thermometry technique is achieved for three equivalence ratios at a pressure of 50 mbar in a laminar flat flame.