Measurement of Atmospheric Temperature Profiles.

Abstract

The equilibrium distribution of atmospheric N2 and O2 among their possible molecular rotational states is a very precise measure of the gas temperature. Hence the rotational spectrum can provide a faithful measure of temperature. By monitoring separate portions of the Raman rotational state, a pair of signals generated simultaneously can be differenced (or their logarithms can be differenced) and the difference signal is a measure of the temperature. Raman lidar was used in this fashion to generate such signals in a prototype experiment. While time and funds were insufficient to develop the electronic processing to the required sensitivity, measurements of such temperature profiles have been made and compared to temperature profiles as measured by radiosonde. Tight space and moderate time correlation were maintained for the comparison of the two types of temperature profiles. (Author)

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 01, 1974
Accession Number
AD0785741

Entities

People

  • John A. Cooney

Organizations

  • Drexel University

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Atmospheric Temperature
  • Measurement
  • Measuring Instruments
  • Monitoring
  • Prototypes
  • Radiosondes
  • Sensitivity
  • Spectra

Readers

  • Control Systems Engineering.
  • Plasma Physics.
  • Radar Systems Engineering.

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics
  • Space