The "Steinberg Group" within the Ben T. Zinn Combustion Laboratory focuses on designing, executing, and interpreting complicated thermo-fluids experiments; we develop and apply state-of-the-art laser measurement techniques to help unravel the coupled fluid, transport, and chemical processes occurring in aerospace propulsion and power generation systems.
Basically...
In order to solve problem X, we need to understand Y.
In order to understand Y, we need to measure Z in a really complicated situation S.
We do not know how to measure Z, particularly not in S.
So…
Let’s figure out how to measure Z (or something as close as possible) in S (or something as close as possible) in order to understand Y and solve X.
X and Y are in the general field of thermo-fluids (combustion, plasmas, turbulence) and S most often is some form of aerospace propulsion or power generation engine (gas turbines, rockets).
In order to measure Z, we typically use lasers.
This was perhaps a convoluted way to say that we develop and use laser-based (and other optical) measurement techniques to solve fundamental and applied problems of relevance to next-generation propulsion and power systems… we shoot lasers at engines (to make them work better)!
The Steinberg Group works in the following Application Areas and Research Areas: