Laser-based diagnostics for the measurement of liquid water film thickness

Three different diagnostic techniques are investigated for measurement of the thickness of liquid water films deposited on a transparent quartz plate. The methods are based on laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) from low concentrations of a dissolved tracer substance and spontaneous Raman scattering of liquid water, respectively, both excited with 266 nm of radiation, and diode laser absorption spectroscopy (DLAS) in the near-infrared spectral region. Signal intensities are calibrated using liquid layers of known thickness between 0 and 1000 mu m. When applied to evaporating liquid water films, the thickness values derived from the direct DLAS and Raman scattering measurements correlate well with each other as a function of time after the start of data recording, while the LIF signal derived thickness values decrease faster with time due to selective tracer evaporation from the liquid. The simultaneous application of the LIF with a tracer-free detection technique can serve as an in situ reference for quantitative film thickness measurements. (C) 2010 Optical Society of America