TY - JOUR
T1 - Improving far-infrared laser measurements of mhd plasma electron density and conductivity
AU - Masuda, Mitsuharu
AU - Watanabe, Yukio
AU - Ikegami, Tomoaki
AU - Akazaki, Masanori
AU - Nakamuta, Hironori
N1 - Funding Information:
and T. Funatsu for their assistance in the experimental work. This work was partly supported by the Grant in Aid for Scientific Research, Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, Japan.
PY - 1988
Y1 - 1988
N2 - Electron density and electrical conductivity are among the most important parameters governing performance of an MHD power generator. The far-infrared laser has offered a powerful diagnostic tool for measuring these quantities. However, clarifying the effects of the neutral gases and the laser beam refraction will improve accuracy. In the present paper, the variable-wavelength far-infrared laser was used to address these effects. In electron density measurement with a Michelson interferometer, the definite fringe shift due to neutral gases in the flame was detected, and the effects of neutral gases, especially the rotational absorption of water vapor, were quantitatively clarified. A method involving integrating beam intensity profiles is also suggested to account for the beam refraction effect of the conductivity measurements. The electron density and conductivity measured with corrections for these effects agree very well with theoretical calculations.
AB - Electron density and electrical conductivity are among the most important parameters governing performance of an MHD power generator. The far-infrared laser has offered a powerful diagnostic tool for measuring these quantities. However, clarifying the effects of the neutral gases and the laser beam refraction will improve accuracy. In the present paper, the variable-wavelength far-infrared laser was used to address these effects. In electron density measurement with a Michelson interferometer, the definite fringe shift due to neutral gases in the flame was detected, and the effects of neutral gases, especially the rotational absorption of water vapor, were quantitatively clarified. A method involving integrating beam intensity profiles is also suggested to account for the beam refraction effect of the conductivity measurements. The electron density and conductivity measured with corrections for these effects agree very well with theoretical calculations.
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U2 - 10.2514/3.23033
DO - 10.2514/3.23033
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0023863409
VL - 4
SP - 68
EP - 72
JO - Journal of Propulsion and Power
JF - Journal of Propulsion and Power
SN - 0748-4658
IS - 1
ER -