The diagnostics using the proposed techniques would be a welcome addition to aid ground tests at NASA arc jet facilities, hypersonic wind tunnels, and shock tunnels. Non-intrusive measurements of velocity and temperature are required for validating computational fluid dynamic modeling and simulation codes that incorporate real-gas kinetic and transport models that are used to predict aerothermodynamics associated with planetary reentry flights. The diagnostics can be used as tools in experiments that focus on the understanding of high temperature gas physics and chemistry. Also, simultaneous acquisition of velocity and temperature is needed in understanding dissociating flow environment such as those occurring in hypersonic inlets, scramjets, and over heat shields and other thermal protection systems.
The unique capability to measure temperature and velocity in high enthalpy flows will be attractive to the private space industry, including companies developing space launch systems for low Earth orbit and planetary exploration. These include contractors to NASA for delivery of cargo and astronauts to the International Space Station, as well as companies, such as SpaceX, that have ambitions of visiting Mars. In addition, the techniques developed herein can be used for combustion velocimetry and thermometry, e.g., measurements in premixed and diffusion flames.
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