A Multi-Wavelength Transceiver for In-Situ Validation of Airborne Remote Sensing Instruments

The overall goal of this Phase II SBIR effort is to develop a three-wavelength, backscatter transceiver for in situ validation of ongoing High Spectral Resolution Lidar measurements. The key innovation in the effort is the use of a multi-element, non-linear waveguide for highly efficient, three wavelength generation in a collinear geometry ideally suited for use in the backscatter nephelometer at the HSRL wavelengths currently under development with NASA Langley?s Aerosol Research Group Experiment. Developing an in-flight, backscatter measurement at the three HSRL wavelengths is a critical acquisition for the LARGE program in order both to validate and to establish a direct link between the existing suite of instruments flown to determine of the microphysical properties of aerosols and the remote HSRL measurement. The proposed in situ instrument will validate ongoing remote sensing measurements while further informing climate models through more accurate estimates of atmospheric aerosol distributions.