Laser beam probing of jet exhaust turbulence

A He-Ne (6328-A) laser beam was passed through the highly turbulent region in the exhaust of a jet engine (J-57 with afterburner). Estimates of a structure constant that would characterize the turbulence in the exhaust are made from the beam spread of focused and collimated beams. The structure constant obtained in this manner is then compared with that determined from scintillation measurements of a (10.6-micro) beam and with the results of hot-wire anemometer readings taken in the exhaust. The various methods yield results for the structure constant that are in good agreement (typically a structure constant of the order of 3 x 10(-5) m(-?)).