Probing Plasma Assisted Combustion and Transient Cavitation Flows via Optical Diagnostics

Abstract

With the expanding use of combustion and multiphase flow systems in energy, aerospace, and propulsion, their high-temperature, high-speed, and strongly coupled nature increasingly challenge conventional measurement methods in terms of accuracy, temporal response, and adaptability. Leveraging non-intrusive operation, high spatiotemporal resolution, and multi-parameter capability, laser-based optical diagnostics have become essential tools for studying both reactive and non-reactive flows. This talk highlights applications of techniques such as emission spectroscopy, absorption spectroscopy, laser-induced fluorescence, and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy in areas including plasma-assisted combustion, liquid film combustion, and cavitation bubble dynamics. Their role in elucidating multi-physics coupling within complex flow fields will also be discussed.

Speaker

Dr Wang received her PhD degree in 2023 from the Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and conducted postdoctoral work at the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany until 2025. Her research focuses on optical diagnostics, plasma-assisted combustion, ionic liquid propellants, liquid film combustion, and cavitation bubble dynamics. She has authored over 10 papers, holds 4 invention patents, and contributes as a reviewer for several journals, including Physics of Fluids, Journal of Physics D, Applied Physics B, and Applied Optics.