MISERS BLUFF Electromagnetic Propagation Experiments. Final Analysis of the Laser Experiment Data
Abstract
This report describes the lidar data obtained at 1.06 and 0.53 micrometers during the MISERS BLUFF II-2 (MBII-2) tests at the Planet Test Site near Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Experiments were also performed at 10.6 micrometers, but data from these experiments were lost because the recording system malfunctioned. The results from the first four minutes after the detonation are presented. In retrospect, the theoretical analysis, which was developed before the data was ready for final reduction, was of limited use because of the unexpected nature of the cloud echoes. The 2.5-MHz receiver bandwidth provided insufficient resolution for the signals that were returned from a region that extended at most only a few tens of meters into the cloud. For the most part, laser signals did not penetrate very deeply into the cloud. Average values for the volume backscattering coefficient have been calculated for the first two minutes after the detonation. In general, the results show that lidar measurements provide little information about the formation of dust clouds as dense as that present at MBII-2. These measurements suggest that dust clouds produced by nuclear and large conventional explosions act as rough- surfaced solid objects in their effects on laser-based systems.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1980
- Accession Number
- ADA112425
Entities
People
- Alan A. Burns
- Arne Rosengreen
Organizations
- SRI International