A new remote sensing technique is proposed for determining the turbulent parameters of the atmosphere using a single-ended lidar system. This technique is based on the enhanced backscattering effect and is insensitive to the scattering volume averaging effect on the intensity fluctuations of the reflected wave and the sounding beam. The corresponding measurements are independent of the turbulent scintillation spectrum and that permits the use of high power pulsed lasers with a relatively low repetition rate for determining the refractive index structure characteristic C_n², its vertical profile C_n²(h) and inner scale of turbulence l_o in the atmosphere. A theory of the method is developed, and the conditions are obtained for observing the backscattering amplification effect in the atmosphere with a laser beam scattered by aerosol. The signal-to-noise ratio and the sensitivity of the measured quantities to the inner scale of turbulence l_o variations are estimated. A planned demonstration of this technique in the boundary layer of the atmosphere with an eyesafe lidar which has been developed at Georgia Tech is discussed.

Date Published: 15 September 1993
PDF: 11 pages
Proc. SPIE 1968, Atmospheric Propagation and Remote Sensing II, (15 September 1993); doi: 10.1117/12.154893

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 1968:
Atmospheric Propagation and Remote Sensing II
Anton Kohnle; Walter B. Miller, Editor(s)