Raman scattering applied to hypersonic air flow

The Raman scattering technique was applied to measure the local static temperature and gas number density over a sharp-edge flat-plate model in a Mach 5 nozzle of the Langley nozzle test chamber with air as the test gas. The angle of attack varied from -5 to 15 deg, and the stagnation temperature varied from 317 to 442 K, with stagnation pressures ranging from 170 kN to 2.8 MN/sq m. The measured values of static temperature and density ranged from 60 to 100 K and from 0.03 to 0.8 kg/cu m, respectively. A comparison with calculated values based on static pressure measurements along the model shows that the Raman scattering technique is a viable measurement method in applications to high-speed three-dimensional flows.