FIBER-COUPLED OPTICAL-PYROMETER FOR SHOCK-WAVE STUDIES

We have developed a new optical pyrometer with unique advantages for shock-wave studies and for measurements of systems that are moving with respect to the detection system. Our pyrometer is fully fiber optic coupled. This completely eliminates any time-dependent imaging or aperture effects common to imaging pyrometers, and is simple to align and calibrate. The sensitivity is also higher than typical imaging systems used for shock experiments. The design is excellent for observations of time-varying phenomena. Detection is done with fast photomultiplier tubes with roughly 1 ns response. In addition, one may also include a streaked spectroscopic system, making this system ideal for fast spectroscopic studies. © 1995 American Institute of Physics.