New Results from Frequency and Energy Reference Measurements during the first Test Flight with the Airborne Integrated Path Differential Absorption Lidar System CHARM-F

Abstract:

The Integrated Path Differential Absorption Lidar (IPDA) technique is regarded as a suitable means for the measurement of methane and carbon dioxide columns from satellite or aircraft platforms with unprecedented accuracy. Currently, the German-French methane mission MERLIN (Methan Remote Lidar Mission) is prepared. At the same time CHARM-F, an aircraft installed system has been developed at DLR as an airborne demonstrator for a spaceborne greenhouse gas mission. Both use e.g. optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) in a double-pulse mode as the transmitter. Of particular importance for both instruments are the sub-modules required for the frequency stabilization of the transmitter wavelength and, since the IPDA technique, in contrast to DIAL, requires the exact knowledge of the energy ratio of outgoing on-line. The coherence of the lidar transmitter gives rise to speckle effects which have to be considered for the monitoring of the energy ratio of outgoing on- and off-line pulses. For the frequency reference of CHARM-F, a very successful stabilization scheme has been developed which will also serve as the reference for MERLIN. In Spring 2015, CHARM-F was flown aboard the German HALO aircraft for the first time which enables a detailed view on the performance of both the energy calibration and frequency reference subsystems under real flight conditions. As an initial quality check we will compared the airborne results to previous lab measurements which have been performed under stable environmental conditions.