Supersonic Freestream Density Fluctuations from Focused Laser Differential Interferometry and Pitot-Probe Measurements

Focused laser differential interferometry (FLDI) is used to make freestream density fluctuation measurements in the von Kármán Gas Dynamics Facility (VKF) Wind Tunnel D at Arnold Engineering Development Complex. A comparison is made between pitot-probe and FLDI measurements after converting both to freestream pressure fluctuation spectra. A modification of Stainback and Wagner’s theory, incorporating recent numerical results from Chaudhry et al., is used to interpret the pitot data, while a new inversion algorithm is applied to the FLDI data. These methods of interpretation make the assumption that the tunnel freestream disturbance environment is dominated by the acoustic Kovásznay mode, in line with the theoretical and experimental evidence. Close agreement is found between the two sets of spectra, showing that accurate quantitative data can be obtained with FLDI, and the instrument can be used to extend spectra beyond the pitot bandwidth.