High-Speed Bipolar Multi-level Spatial Light Modulator

The proposed Phase II program develops a unique meteorological sensor to provide a new capability for volumetric range-resolved wind velocity and aerosol and tracer gas concentration to ranges of several kilometers. The proposed novel sensor is based onexisting CTI-developed commercial off the shelf 2 m pulsed coherent Doppler lidar hardware that is critically augmented with an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) to enable tunable mid-wave infrared (MWIR) operation for multi-color lidar aerosolcharacterization as well as differential absorption lidar (DIAL) measurement of tracer gas concentration. The ongoing Phase I program is conducting system performance trades to establish sensitivity and spatial and temporal resolution capability forvarious system configurations. A novel receiver architecture has been identified to both improve system sensitivity and reduce system complexity. The proposed Phase II program will develop a detailed design, supported through carefully-designed riskreduction measurements, based on the Phase I preliminary design. An existing (Army Research Office owned) transceiver and signal processor will then be modified to incorporate the MWIR transmit/receive architecture. Field measurements will be conductedat an Army facility to evaluate system performance as a function of range, and update and scan rate (spatial resolution).