Abstract

As long the single scattering is dominant, the distance between the lidar and the scattering volume is well determined, but when the multiple scattering events become significant, the lidar spatial resolution is reduced and only average properties can be analysed from the single scattering measurements. Moreover, all inversion methods relating lidar signal to number densities and particle size distributions must be modified since the multiple scattering affects the direct analysis. The essential requirements of a realistic model for lidar measurements which include the multiple scattering and which can be applied to practical situations are the following: a) Not just correction terms or rough approximations describing certain experimental results, but a general theory tying together the relevant physical parameters we seek to measure. b) Relatively small CPU time for the calculation of high scattering orders. c) A numerically stable and rapidly converging model for the calculation of higher scattering orders, of large cloud depth with relatively high experimental noise.

© 1991 Optical Society of America