A TRANSPORTABLE LIDAR FOR DENSITY AND TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENTS TO 110 KM

WE PROPOSE TO GENERATE THE DETAILED DESIGN FOR A LIDAR SYSTEM CAPABLE OF MEASURING THE RANGE RESOLVED ATMOSPHERIC DENSITY AND TEMPERATURE PROFILES TO 110KM. THE SYSTEM WILL BE DESIGNED TO OPERATE FROM THE GROUND AT REMOTE FIELD SITES. THE PROPOSED CONCEPT COMBINES A SODIUM FLUORESCENCE LIDAR, A RAYLEIGH LIDAR, AND A N2 VIBRATIONAL RAMAN LIDAR. THE RAYLEIGH AND RAMAN LIDARS ARE ALREADY OPERATIONAL IN THE GL HIGH ALTITUDE MOBILE LIDAR TRAILER. THE SODIUM FLUORESCENCE LIDAR REQUIRES THE MAJORITY OF THE INNOVATIVE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROPOSED EFFORT. INTEGRATION OF THE THREE LIDARS, BOTH IN HARDWARE AND IN DATA ANALYSIS CONSTITUTES THE REMAINDER OF THE WORK. THE FLUORESCENCE LIDAR WILL NEED A PULSED, HIGH ENERGY, NARROW BANDWIDTH, TUNABLE DYE LASER TRANSMITTER, AND A NARROW BANDWIDTH RECEIVER. THE TRANSMITTER MUST BE CAPABLE OF SELECTIVELY EXCITING DIFFERENT REGIONS OF THE DOPPLER BROADENED HYPERFINE SPECTRUM OF MESOSPHERIC SODIUM. TUNING OF THE LASER WILL BE UNDER COMPUTER CONTROL, AND MUST BE RELIABLE ENOUGH FOR MANY HOURS OF UNINTERRUPTED DATA ACQUISITION. THE RECEIVER WILL BE EQUIPPED WITH A NEWLY DEVELOPED ATOMIC FILTER TO PROVIDE NARROW-BANDWIDTH, WIDE ANGULAR-ACCEPTANCE, AND HIGH QUANTUM EFFICIENCY. SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THIS PHASE I STUDY WILL LEAD DIRECTLY TO THE CONSTRUCTION AND USE OF A POWERFUL, PORTABLE, HYBRID LIDAR SYSTEM CAPABLE OF MEASURING ROUTINELY AND CONTINUOUSLY A REGION OF THE ATMOSPHERE CURRENTLY ACCESSIBLE ONLY BY ROCKETS. IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT MULTIPLE COPIES OF THE RESULTANT COST-EFFICIENT SYSTEM COULD BE CONSTRUCTED FOR SIMULTANEOUS USE AT DIFFERENT LOCATIONS.