Theoretical analysis of PPE measurements in liquids using a thermal-wave cavity

The photopyroelectric measurements in a thermal-wave cavity (PPE) were analyzed with a conventional one-dimensional approach and a three-dimensional approach. The calculations show that the dimensionality of the thermal-wave field in the cavity depends on the boundary conditions and the beam size of the applied laser. The study resulted in identifying ranges of heat transfer rates and cavity configurations for which accurate quantitative measurements of the thermal diffusivity of intracavity fluids can be made within the far simpler, but only approximate, one-dimensional approach conventionally adopted by users of thermal-wave cavities.