Open AccessAn optical method for measuring temperature in laboratory models of mantle plumes
Author(s) -
Laudenbach N.,
Christensen U. R.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
geophysical journal international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.302
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1365-246X
pISSN - 0956-540X
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-246x.2001.01409.x
Subject(s) - plume , thermal , convection , rotational symmetry , mechanics , geology , hotspot (geology) , deflection (physics) , mantle (geology) , temperature measurement , temperature gradient , optics , geophysics , meteorology , thermodynamics , physics
SUMMARY We present a method for measuring radial temperature profiles in laboratory thermal plumes using the deflection of a laser beam that passes through the fluid. Plumes are created by injecting hot corn syrup into a column of cold syrup at a well‐defined rate. Every second a new radial temperature profile can be taken, which makes the method suitable for monitoring time‐dependent phenomena. We compare the thermal structure of stationary plume conduits and of propagating solitary waves with numerical results obtained with a 2‐D axisymmetric convection code. The agreement is excellent and shows that accurate high‐resolution temperature profiles can be obtained without perturbing the flow.