A Light Pulse Generator For High Speed Photography Using Semiconductor Devices As A Light Source

A high speed pulsed light generator system has been developed for the optical analysis and imaging of fast processes in fluid dynamics. As a light source, one or more high power LEDs are used. The maximum light power extracted out of one diode is 1 Watt. The pulse repetition rate is up to 2.MHz and the pulse width can be adjusted in the range from 50 ns to 10 4s. The light emitted from the diodes has a wavelength of 660 nm. Due to its pronounced coherence, it is especially suited for the observation of phase objects by interferometric methods. Examples for the application of the generator are presented.