Portable High Resolution Doppler Lidar

"The objective of this effort is to develop a high-performance, low-cost, eyesafe Doppler lidar sensor that utilizes Direct-Detection Doppler Lidar (D3L) techniques. Our Phase I analyses show that properly implemented D3L techniques offer significantperformance and cost advantages over the legacy optical heterodyne and incoherent detection techniques. The program goal is to produce a portable D3L sensor that is capable of detecting 1-m turbulent cells with as low as 10-20 cm/s disturbance velocitiesat greater than 5 km and is compatible with a Future Combat Systems (FCS) sensor suite. LCI will leverage its eyesafe 3D flash-ladar sensor development performed under DARPA's JIGSAW program to define an integrated multifunction combat ID (CID) sensorsuite for an FCS platform. During Phase-II, a prototype D3L sensor will be developed and tested against helicopter targets. The field experiments will be performed in conjunction with AMCOM, and the results will be shared with the FCS primes. PotentialGovernment applications include helicopter signature detection, precision airdrops and ballistic targeting, global winds measurements and weather prediction, environmental monitoring, non-proliferation, chemical and biological standoff detection, and CID.The largest commercial market is aviation safety, which requires sensors for detecting clear-air turbulence (CAT), wind shear, microbursts, and wake-vortices."