Laser beacon for monitoring the mesospheric sodium layer at La Palma

Laurent Michaille; Tony A.D. Canas; Christopher Dainty; Jonathan Maxwell; Thomas S. Gregory; John C. Quartel; Fred C. Reavell; Richard W. Wilson; Nicholas J. Wooder

doi:10.1117/12.390337

7 July 2000 Laser beacon for monitoring the mesospheric sodium layer at La Palma

Laurent Michaille, Tony A.D. Canas, Christopher Dainty, Jonathan Maxwell, Thomas S. Gregory, John C. Quartel, Fred C. Reavell, Richard W. Wilson, Nicholas J. Wooder

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 4007, Adaptive Optical Systems Technology; (2000) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.390337
Event: Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation, 2000, Munich, Germany

Abstract

We report the results of the first laser beacon experiment at the astronomical site of La Palma (Canary Islands). A continuous wave low power laser (a few hundreds of mW) system has been set up. The laser, tuned on the sodium D₂ line at 589 nm, is launched close to zenith angle. The emission of the mesospheric sodium layer is observed from a telescope located 160 meters away from the laser. The layer is therefore resolved in altitude and the different features of its dynamics are investigated.

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Laurent Michaille, Tony A.D. Canas, Christopher Dainty, Jonathan Maxwell, Thomas S. Gregory, John C. Quartel, Fred C. Reavell, Richard W. Wilson, and Nicholas J. Wooder "Laser beacon for monitoring the mesospheric sodium layer at La Palma", Proc. SPIE 4007, Adaptive Optical Systems Technology, (7 July 2000); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.390337

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