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Heat-sensitive liquid crystal sheets are used to observe quantitatively the temperature contours on the surface of an aluminum slab subjected to constant-valued boundary conditions. The experiment is then modeled numerically using spreadsheet techniques. The theoretically derived power series solution to the Laplace equation is given and students use the spreadsheet to numerically investigate its convergence. In a single laboratory session, the introductory physics student studies the Laplace equation from experimental, numerical, and theoretical perspectives.
MiT testing of optical systems incorporating high-speed time-delay-integrate (ThI) charge-coupled device (CCD) arrays has typically been a challenging task, more so than area or linear arrays. TDI imaging depends upon the synchronized motion of an image with the clocking of TDI lines. Simulating this motion often requires complicated and very precise mechanical equipment such as a moving belt or rotating drum. An alternative to this mechanical approach involves the use of a flashlamp to freeze the motion of an object during one of the TDI integration stages. This flashlamp method is straightforward and eliminates MiT errors due to velocity mismatch and scan misalignment. This paper describes the approach used to obtain sine wave and knife-edge images for MiT analysis using the flashlamp method. Test data and results for an instrument with a large aperture that is used in R&D for high-resolution space-based imaging is presented.
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