Abstract

The potential for global wind sensing from a satellite platform using laser sources and coherent Doppler radar was first proposed by R. M. Huffakerf[1]. The prospect for global remote wind sensing motivated our work at Stanford University toward the development of a solid state laser transmitter coherent radar system. The potential for coherent doppler wind velocity measurements using Nd:YAG was evaluated by Kane, Zhou and Byer in 1984[2]. That analysis showed the advantages of higher frequency coherent radar for improved backscattering and for improved depth resolution at a fixed velocity resolution.

© 1987 Optical Society of America