Yogeshwer Nath Mishra, a scientist from a village in Uttar Pradesh, and his colleagues have developed a system that will provide widely applicable avenues in the study of combustion.
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Yogeshwer Nath Mishra, a farmer’s son, comes from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh and is part of a team at NASA and Caltech that has successfully developed the technology of the world’s fastest laser sheet imaging.
This technology of laser sheet imaging can be helpful in the study of nanoparticles in flames. This achievement could make a notable change in our understanding of combustion.
Mishra, a scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, said that the world of science always seemed very fascinating to him. He also added that he was deeply inspired by the aerospace scientist and former President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. His research interests include light-matter interaction, laser spectroscopy, and sustainable technology.
The research has been published in the journal Nature Light Science and Applications.
Ultra-Fast Imaging
To get information regarding a specific segment of an object, the team used a light sheet to cut through a 3-dimensional object.
According to Mishra, the invention is the fastest camera for planar imaging. He stated that when it comes to capturing images, a regular camera has 30 frames per second, whereas this latest technology has 12.5 billion frames per second.
Image Source: The Indian Express
He also added that the laser-sheet imaging technology used in this gives 2-dimensional information of a plane, unlike the existing systems that throw images that come in the line of sight through a laser beam, hence limiting the area.
For similar imaging, the modern ultra-fast cameras that are being used are limited to a million frames per second, whereas the team has combined compressed sensing with streak camera technology in its latest innovation.
Generally, it is impossible to trace the movement of light in real time. However, this camera can show light in action, mainly how light travels in a material or medium. Mishra believes it is all because of its capability of 12.5 billion frames per second. He also added that they combined streak technology and a compressed sensing algorithm to make the camera single-shot and 2-dimensional.
Amendments to global warming
This new imaging system can have a significant influence on studies on combustion. The scholar believes that several chemical species from hydrocarbons are generated as a result of combustion. Similarly, hydrocarbons are burned when launching a rocket or flying an airplane, which is why it is even more important to study the phenomenon.
Image Source: Fun Kids
The scientist believes that to improve engine performance, it is important to better understand the complex process that involves a lot of fluid mechanics, chemistry, and physics.
Soot Formation
Soot is formed by the burning of fuel. These can cause numerous health hazards if they get into the bloodstream as nanoparticles.
Mishra believes it acts as a catalyst for global warming. When transported to glaciers and it lets ice form a layer on them, soot increases the temperature as they trap sunlight, which results in the melting of the glacier.
Image Source: Frontiers
As explained by Mishra, nano-sized poly aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are formed just before soot formation. This formation lasts within a time range of nanoseconds to sub-nanoseconds. Here, ultra-fast imaging will prove helpful in tracking how PAH is responsible for soot particle formation.
Other Uses
The technology of ultra-fast imaging that is being provided can be very helpful for many other different fields of research.
such as tracking a process that is induced by light or in areas like biomedical imaging.
Mishra also stated that the latest system has a considerably lower cost as compared to the existing imaging systems available on the market. This can make the adoption of the new technology extremely effortless for various labs and research facilities across the world.
