Abstract

Gas filter correlation radiometer (GFCR) is a passive remote sensing technique used in a variety of atmospheric measurements.¹ In recent years, a nonmechanical optical switching GFCR has been invented and developed at NASA Langley Research Center. The principle of the new GFCR and some preliminary lab experimental results were reported in earlier papers.^2,3 The use of a polarization modulator, in conjunction with a polarization beamsplitter, enables rapid optical switching without mechanically moving parts. In comparison with the conventional GFCR, which involves mechanical chopping or switching between two optical paths, the nonmechanical GFCR possesses some very attractive advantages such as fast sampling rate, high reliability, low weight and long operational life time.

© 1995 Optical Society of America