Temperature measurements in combustion-not only with CARS: a look back at one aspect of the European CARS Workshop

Temperature is perhaps the most important quantity in combustion research and technology. The potential and state of the art of various laser‐based diagnostics used for the determination of temperature in laboratory flames and practical combustion devices are discussed and illustrated with a few representative examples from our laboratory. The emphasis is on coherent anti‐Stokes Raman scattering (CARS), the main topic of the European CARS Workshop in the past. As a result, CARS is today the most matured and proven technique for technical applications. In addition to CARS, however, linear laser spectroscopic methods also deliver valuable and supplementary information on temperature in combustion. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.