Phase-conjugate resonant holographic interferometry applied to NH concentration measurements in a two-dimensional diffusion flame

Resonant holographic interferometry is a diagnostic technique based on the dispersion of light having a frequency close to that of an electronic transition of a molecule. We propose a novel single-laser, two-color setup for the recording of resonant holograms and apply it to two-dimensional (2D) species concentration measurements in a combustion environment. The generation of the second color is achieved by optical phase conjugation from stimulated Brillouin scattering in a cell. The frequency shift of similar to 8.5 GHz introduced by the phase conjugation matches approximately the linewidth of many molecular transitions at typical flame temperatures and can be implemented to produce holograms of good contrast and diffraction efficiency. Phase-conjugate resonant holographic interferometry is demonstrated in a 2D NH3-O-2 flame, yielding interferograms containing information on the NH radical concentration distribution in the flame. Experimental results are quantified by application of a numerical computation of the complex refractive index. (C) 1997 Optical Society of America.