APPLICATION OF LIQUID-CRYSTAL THERMOMETRY TO DROP TEMPERATURE-MEASUREMENTS

A technique has been developed that enables remote sensing of the temp eratures of liquid drops in a medium of an immiscible, transparent liq uid with the aid of dispersing microcapsules of thermochromic liquid c rystal in each drop under illumination by either a planar floodlight o r a light sheet which cuts the drop at a meridian. Based on appropriat e hue-temperature calibrations made with an isothermal, stationary dro p/medium system, one can analyze spatial and time variations of temper ature within drops in motion under transient convective heating (or co oling) from the medium.