Abstract
The accuracy of the measurement of the Taylor length scale by two-point laser Doppler velocimetry is mainly determined by the probe volume length and the portion of the correlation curve used to fit a matching parabola. The importance of these parameters is investigated theoretically using simulated correlations. Several models are used to characterise the true autocorrelation of the fluctuating velocity. It appears clearly that the probe volume length has no significant effect on the measured integral scale however it has an important effect on the Taylor scale. The results reveal also that the relative uncertainty on the Taylor scale is governed not only by the probe volume length and the procedure of the data processing but also by the ratio of the integral to the Taylor scales, that is to say, by the Reynolds number.