Multi-Beam, High-Power Rayleigh Lidar for the Capture of 2D Dynamic Atmospheric Features

Abstract:

While single-beam Rayleigh lidar have been in common usage for decades, their lack of horizontal resolution limits their ability to study the dynamic structure of the atmosphere to what can be observed in a single vertical profile. An experimental multi-beam lidar transmitter at the University of Illinois overcomes this problem by the simultaneous generation of a fan of closely-spaced near-vertical beams from a single high-power pulsed laser, allowing for the resolution of horizontal features on the order of tens of meters and the capture of dynamic events such as billows and overturnings. This transmitter is coupled with a digital receiver that allows for quickly variable vertical resolution that can be dynamically varied to match the scale of observed features.