Precise CCD image analysis for planar laser-induced fluorescence experiments

The goal of this paper is to describe essential criteria for image analysis of planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) signals. A new image file conversion method is introduced and some typical illustrative examples showing the potential applications of the method in PLIF experiments are presented. Analysis of row, column, and total pixel counts, and the dark noise related to an image are discussed. Image segmentation, averaging and background correction can be easily done by the reported method. In our analysis it is straightforward to inspect the pixel counts and check for saturation of the camera sensors. It is also feasible to obtain a particular row or column for interpretation and it offers an easy way to check the validity of the captured images. Furthermore, the method offers a sensitive technique to check pulse-to-pulse variation of the excitation laser by using frame-to-frame fluorescence image data comparison, which is more illustrative than power checking by other means. The overall results show that the developed conversion method reported here can be effectively used to obtain more in-depth and quantitative information out of the raw data for the PLIF experiments.