A Laser Meteorological System Study.
Abstract
A study was conducted to determine the feasibility of a meteorological system using a lidar (laser radar) for the remote and rapid measurement of atmospheric parameters. In particular, the feasibility of measuring air density and wind velocity was investigated. It was determined that air density could be measured best by physically measuring the air temperature profile and calculating the density from it. A coaxial laser Doppler system was chosen to measure the two parameters. The broadening of the Rayleigh line determined air temperature and the shift from laser frequency of the particulate scattered line determined wind velocity. The system to be built used a 10-inch, f/13 Schmidt Cassegrain telescope, a single-frequency dye laser, and a tuneable Fabry-Perot interferometer. Single-frequency operation of the dye laser was not achieved so the system was not field tested. The ability of a spherical Fabry-Perot interferometer to measure Doppler shifts was tested in the laboratory. Frequency shifts as low as 1.5 MHz could be detected by an interferometer which had a bandwidth of only 20 MHz. The gains of several flashlamp pumped dyes were measured at 632.8nm. A mixture of 0.00008 M Rhodamine B and 0.00002 M Rhodamine 6G in ethyl alcohol had a gain of 0.34 dB per cm. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1972
- Accession Number
- AD0912237
Entities
People
- Richard I. Ely
Organizations
- Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division