The High Spectral Resolution Lidar

Abstract

The High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) system was developed for the remote measurement of atmospheric optical properties. Measurements are obtained by the separation of the backscattered signal into aerosol and molecular channels using a high spectral resolution Fabry-Perot optical interferometer to separate the aerosol contributions to backscatter near the laser wavelength from the Doppler-shifted molecular component of the backscatter. The transmitter consists of an optically pumped pulsed dye laser of the oscillator-amplifier design which emits at 467.88 nm, with a bandwidth of less than 0.3 pm. The transmitter and receiver share a common Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, although they do not share the same field stop, but rather two conjugate stops. The HSRL system uses a computer-controlled dual-channel photon-counting data acquisition system providing for stable measurements at very low power levels and an excellent dynamic range. The system has been used to obtain airborne measurements of height profiles of aerosol and molecular backscatter cross sections.