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Optica Publishing Group
  • Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics
  • OSA Technical Digest (Optica Publishing Group, 1992),
  • paper CMD3

Diode-pumped 2 μm sources for laser radar

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Abstract

Historically, CO2 gas laser technology, at wavelengths of 9-11 μm, has been the technology of choice for the majority of coherent laser radar applications. Advances made in shorter wavelength diode-pumped solid-state lasers in recent years resulted in the demonstration of the first coherent laser radar systems at 1.06 Jim using Nd:YAG1 and 2.1 pm using Tm, Ho:YAG2 in 1987 and 1990, respectively. The diode-pumped solid-state laser technology offers the advantages of highly efficient operation, low mass, small size, long operating lifetimes, and the absence of consumables. In most uses, the shorter wavelengths allow higher resolution velocity measurements compared to CO2-based laser radar systems. Eyesafe operation (>1.4 μm) is a concern in such systems; 2-μm lasers have a definite eyesafety advantage over 1.06 μm lasers. The 2.1-μm system described in Ref. 2 has demonstrated wind measurements to the 30-km range and hard target returns from 145 km with ~20 mJ of transmitted energy. We have also used this system to demonstrate wind measurements to >5-km range with only 5 m] of transmitted energy. These encouraging results suggest that many remote sensing applications could benefit from using 2-μm laser radar systems.

© 1992 Optical Society of America

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