Both LPS and TSP should be excited with appropriate light source to emit luminescence. Different light sources may be used, i.e. lasers, arc lamps or flash lamps, if they emit light of appropriate spectral range that is absorbed by LPS or TSP.

OPTROD’s Luminescent Pressure Sensors should be excited by the light of 300?345nm spectral range. The light of longer wavelength also excite LPS but pressure sensitivity becomes lower while temperature sensitivity — higher. Also reference component of binary LPS B1 exhibits essential temperature sensitivity under long wave excitation. Thus the characteristics of OPTROD’s LPSs becomes much worse under the long wave excitation in respect with recommended excitation spectral range. The light of shorter wavelength increases essentially photodegradation rate of active luminophore and also is undesirable.

Excitation spectral range for OPTROD’s Temperature Sensitive Paint is chosen as 280 ?390nm to provide the highest temperature sensitivity. TSP may be excited by wider spectral range but its characteristics becomes worse.

The most convenient light source for excitation of OPTROD’s LPS and TSP is N2-laser that emits light of 337nm wavelength. Such N2-laser operating in a quasi-continuous mode (1000Hz) in combination with fiber-optic illumination system was used in numerous wind tunnel experiments at TsAGI (Central Aero-Hydrodynamic Institute, Russia) and at some other aerodynamic centers.

The same illumination system was used for pressure measurements on rotating propellers while N2-laser operated in stroboscopic mode synchronized with propeller rotation.

Lamps are emitting the light of very wide spectral range and desirable spectral range can be selected with appropriate optical filters. The choice of arc or flash lamp is determined by the type of measurements to be made. Xe flash lamps were successfully used in TsAGI for pressure measurement in shock wind tunnel.

An attempt to measure pressure with LPS on rotating propellers shows that in this case the pulse duration of a flash lamp should be very short (less than 0.002msec) while pulse energy should be high enough (more than 60J). Special configuration of measurement system allows to use the flash lamp for LPS measurements on the blade of helicopter