Density-sensitive whole-field flow measurement by optical speckle photography

An optical whole-field, line-of-sight method is surveyed that allows the measurement of the refractive deflection angles of light transmitted through a flow with density changes. The method uses the principles of speckle photography. In comparison to classical optical methods such as interferometry, a much higher number of data values can be obtained from one record without the need of interpolating between experimental data. This high signal density is particularly advantageous for analyzing turbulent flows with density fluctuations. Such an analysis is, so far, restricted to the existence of axisymmetric turbulence. A number of applications to this type of turbulent flow are reported, and proposals are made for future developments that will allow this speckle technique to be applied to the study of turbulent shear flow.