Dual Receiver Turbulence Lidar

To address the Navy's need for a new sensor technology capable of measuring range-resolved optical turbulence over the ocean and in coastal areas, Intellisense Systems, Inc. (Intellisense) proposes, in Phase II.5, to advance the development of its Dual Receiver Turbulence Lidar (DReTL) technology that was demonstrated in Phase II. The DReTL system is based on the backscattering amplification phenomena in the turbulent atmosphere that is directly related to the magnitude of the refractive index structure parameter. The improvements in the system design, addition of line of sight pointing, and enhanced ruggedization against marine weather conditions will enable it to operate 24/7 in a marine environment, providing volumetric range-resolved refractive index structure parameter data in short intervals to meet Navy requirements. In Phase II, the DReTL technology was demonstrated through sensor system design, development, testing in field conditions at Navy test ranges, and comparison of its data output to the data collected from the reference sensors. In Phase II.5, Intellisense plans to make additional design improvements to the hardware and data processing software components, develop and implement an intercomparison-based self-referenced turbulence measurement process, conduct field tests, and add line of sight pointing capability, allowing for further miniaturization, portability, and pointability. The resulting DReTL system will be a stand-alone, self-referenced, beaconless turbulence sensor that will have the agility to point in any direction and provide various atmospheric turbulence-related parameters, such as Fried parameter and Rytov variance, for Navy applications. In Phase III, Intellisense will work with the Navy program office and the prime contractor(s) on the integration of DReTL into the Navy's test ranges and high-energy laser weapon systems.