Ultrasensitive Schlieren optical system

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Abstract
The schlieren optical system detects dn/dr which is the gradient of the refractive index n with the location r in dependence on the location r. A simple optical modification is presented which increases the sensitivity of a schlieren optical system extensively. This improvement is achieved by means of two cylindrical lenses in front of the phase plate which are arranged in a way that their focal points fall together. The phase plate remains in the focus of the lens system. The combination of the two cylindrical lenses is a beam expander which amplifies the measuring effect. Therefore it is possible to investigate solutions with a much lower polymer concentration than before. Furthermore the detected schlieren curve will be much sharper because the phase plate angle can be increased. The principal function and apparative aspects of the ultrasensitive schlieren optical system are discussed. Furthermore some potential applications for the example of analytical ultracentrifugation are presented.

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