Real-time acquisition of laser-induced fluorescence decays.

Picosecond time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence (PITLIF) has the potential to provide rapid measurements of minor-species concentrations by correction for local quenching conditions on the time scale of turbulence. Previous studies demonstrated that this technique could provide laser-induced fluorescence data and local quenching rates in flames but used equivalent-time sampling to obtain the required fluorescence decays. This precludes the use of PITLIF in turbulent systems. Fluorescence decays of sodium seeded into a laminar H(2)-O(2)-Ar diffusion flame are obtained from real-time data with an acquisition rate on the time scale of turbulence. The results obtained with this method are shown to be similar to those obtained from equivalent-time sampling.