Modeling and correction of image drift in dynamic shadowgraphy experiments.

The study of phoretic transport phenomena under non-stationary conditions presents several challenges, mostly related to the stability of the experimental apparatus. This is particularly true when investigating with optical means the subtle temperature and concentration fluctuations that arise during diffusion processes, superimposed to the macroscopic state of the system. Under these conditions, the tenuous signal from fluctuations is easily altered by the presence of artifacts.

Dynamics of non-equilibrium concentration fluctuations during free-diffusion in highly stratified solutions of glycerol and water.

We investigate the non-equilibrium fluctuations occurring during free diffusion between two solutions of glycerol and water with various concentration differences. The non-linearity of the system, determined by the strong stratification of the sample, requires introducing an interpretation model able to characterize the dependence of the correlation properties of the non-equilibrium fluctuations on the local thermophysical variables of the system. The proposed model allows us to characterize the dynamics of non-equilibrium fluctuations in the presence of a wide range of relaxation times determined by the strong stratification of the sample, at variance with the cumulant methods commonly used in dynamic light scattering experiments, which work well in the presence of a moderate dispersion of relaxation times.