Autonomous Lidar Wind Field Sensor

Previous measurements using two micron solid-state lidar systems and computer simulation of lidar performance demonstrate that an eyesafe, low-pulse-energy (1 - 10 mJ/pulse), small aperture (~10cm) lidar will be capable of highly accurate high spatial resolution wind velocity measurements to ranges of 2-10 km in the atmospheric boundary layer. High-spatial resolution 3-D coverage for several km around the lidar location will be possible at updates of a few minutes, depending on the measurement grid size and the lidar PRF. The lidar would be capable of performing localized scans to probe the winds in specific areas in great detail and at faster update rates. In the proposed effort CTI will develop an autonomously-operating coherent solid-state lidar system. During the Phase I effort, analysis, computer simulations, and demonstration measurements, aimed at proving feasibility for the autonomous eyesafe lidar will be performed. Algorithms for fusion of the lidar data with radar data will be developed. The preliminary designed of the coherent lidar windfield sensor will be performed.