Continuous-wave planar laser induced fluorescence with a fast camera

We present planar, laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) measurements of the velocity-resolved distribution function of ions in a plasma using a modulated, narrow linewidth, continuous-wave laser. Plasma emission is acquired with a high frame rate camera, and the laser light is spread into a thin sheet so that an entire plane of the plasma is imaged at each interrogation wavelength. Fourier analysis is conducted on each pixel of the images to separate the modulated fluorescent emission from the background light. Argon ion temperatures and bulk flow maps are reported in a helicon plasma source, and standard single-point LIF measurements provide validation of the PLIF measurement.