AEROSOL PROFILING WITH UNATTENDED 2.1 MICRON LIDAR

THE PROPOSED PROGRAM INVLOLVES THE CONSTRUCTION OF A BREAD- BOARD 2.1 MICRON LIDAR AEROSOL PROFILER AND MEASUREMENTS OF AEROSOL BACKSCATTER. THE LIDAR WILL UTILIZE A NEW AND UNIQUE, ROOM TEMPERATURE, EYE-SAFE HOLMIUM LASER COMMERCIAL-LY SOLD BY SCHWARTZ ELECTRO-OPTICS (SEO). THIS EFFICIENT, SOLID STATE LASER IS BASED UPON A PROPRIETARY HOLMIUM: YSGG CRYSTAL DEVELOPED BY SEO AND CURRENTLY IS THE ONLY TWO MI- CRON LASER ON THE MARKET. PRIOR WORK AT LINCOLN LABORATORY BY SEO'S CONSULTANT DR. DENNIS KILLINGER AND SEO'S VICE PRESIDENT OF RESEARCH DR. PETER MOULTON SHOWED THE PROMISE OF A TWO MICRON LIDAR FOR THE PROPOSED APPLICATION USING A COBALT MAGNESIUM FLUORIDE LASER HAVING ONLY ONE TENTH OF THEOUTPUT POWER AVAILABLE FROM THE HOLMIUM LASER. ALSO COBALT MAGNESIUM FLUORIDE (A LASER PUMPED LASER) IS A MORE COM- PLEX LASER THAN HOLMIUM:YSGG. THE PROPOSED EFFORT WILL BE COMPLEMENTED BY DIODE-PUMPED HOLIUM LASER RESEARCH ON-GOING AT SEO UNDER AN AIR FORCE PHASE-I SBIR CONTRACT. THE PRO- POSED EFFORT WILL MAKE USE OF COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE SIGNAL PROCESSING EQUIPMENT FOR PROCESSING AEROSOL RETURNS AND WILLINCLUDE A PRELIMINARY DESIGN DEMONSTRATION OF UNATTENDED OPERATION