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Theoretical analysis of the surface thermal wave technique for measuring the thermal diffusivity of thin slabs

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Abstract

We present a theoretical analysis of a photothermal radiometry method of measuring thermal diffusivity, in which thermal radiation is detected from a small area, displaced by known distances from an area of modulated optical excitation. Expressions for evaluating the measurements and their main systematic errors have been worked out for thermally thin slab samples. The measurements, data and error analysis techniques are illustrated with experiments on metallic and polymeric samples. These show that the main systematic errors are associated with the spatial resolution of the apparatus and heat losses to air and thermal radiation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Photophysics Research, School of EEIE, South Bank University, 103 Borough Road, SEI 0AA, London, UK

    B. Zhang & R. E. Imhof

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  1. B. Zhang
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  2. R. E. Imhof
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Zhang, B., Imhof, R.E. Theoretical analysis of the surface thermal wave technique for measuring the thermal diffusivity of thin slabs. Appl. Phys. A 62, 323–334 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01594230

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01594230

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