AN INCOHERENT DOPPLER LIDAR FOR GROUND-BASED ATMOSPHERIC WIND PROFILING

A new incoherent lidar for measuring atmospheric wind using an iodine molecular filter as the frequency discriminator is proposed. A unique feature of the proposed lidar lies in its capability for simultaneous measurement of aerosol mixing ratio, with which the radial wind can be determined uniquely from the lidar return. A preliminary laboratory e xperiment using a monolithic cw diode-pumped frequency-doubled YAG las er at 532 nm and a rotating wheel has been performed. The result of th is laboratory experiment have not only demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed wind measurement technique but also determined an intrin sic lidar measurement uncertainty of 12 cm/s for a measurement time of 5 min.