Abstract

The High Spectral Resolution LIDAR (HSRL) technique has been proposed (1,2) to measure the temperature profile in the atmosphere with a resolution of 1°K in real time with a spatial resolution of 15 to 30 m. A 10-nanosecond pulse centered on frequency, v_L, is sent into the atmosphere. The returning light is split and each beam is passed through one of two very narrow atomic vapor filters centered on v_F, but with slightly different band widths corresponding to different vapor temperatures. Tuning the laser frequency to coincide with the center of the filter will remove the strong central aerosol scattering peak. The transmitted light is that scattered by the air molecules at a range determined by the time delay. The ratio of these two signals is then compared to that calculated from kinetic theory (3,4) for different temperatures.

© 1987 Optical Society of America