Optimal Method for Heat-Flow Registration

A new optical method for heat-flow registration is proposed. The sensor is a plane-parallel plate made of a transparent material. The form of the interference pattern resulting from superposition of waves reflected from the leading and trailing edges of the sensor varies in time depending on the distribution of heat flows. A relation for calculating heat flows by the shift of interference fringes is given. The measurements obtained by the optical method and by a certified thermocouple probe are compared. The results are in good agreement. The sensitivity and spatial resolution of the method are estimated.