Abstract

Signal fluctuations from coherent lidar systems have been considered both theoretically and experimentally by many authors in different wavelength regimes. At 10.6µm Hardesty et al [1] considered characteristics of coherent lidar returns from calibration targets and aerosols; Flamant et al [2] used a pulsed CO₂ lidar to study speckle effects from various rough surfaces and Letalick et al [3] measured signal amplitude distributions for a FM-cw CO₂ laser radar. In other studies Vaughan et al [4] employed correlation analysis to study signal fluctuations from a moving belt.

© 1991 Optical Society of America