We demonstrate the design of a fiber optic beam delivery system for particle image velocimetry (PIV) applications. The system is capable of transmitting pulse energies of about 10 mJ in 7 ns pulses from a frequency doubled and Q-switched Nd:YAG laser; it is hence suitable for use with high speed air flows. The fiber used has a fused silica core of diameter 400 micrometers , and is of the step index multimode type. The output beam quality is 80 mm- mrad. Through exploitation of intermodal dispersion of the fiber, intensity variations in the output from the fiber due to speckle are suppressed to a visibility of < 7%.

Date Published: 6 August 1993
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 2052, Fifth International Conference on Laser Anemometry: Advances and Applications, (6 August 1993); doi: 10.1117/12.150564

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 2052:
Fifth International Conference on Laser Anemometry: Advances and Applications
J. M. Bessem; R. Booij; H. W. H. E. Godefroy; P. J. de Groot; K. Krishna Prasad; F. F. M. de Mul; E. J. Nijhof, Editor(s)