Testing of LIDAR system for turbulence profiles

Gary G. Gimmestad; David W. Roberts; John M. Stewart; Jack W. Wood; Frank D. Eaton

doi:10.1117/12.792204

Translator Disclaimer

18 April 2008 Testing of LIDAR system for turbulence profiles

Gary G. Gimmestad, David W. Roberts, John M. Stewart, Jack W. Wood, Frank D. Eaton

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 6951, Atmospheric Propagation V; 695109 (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.792204
Event: SPIE Defense and Security Symposium, 2008, Orlando, Florida, United States

Abstract

The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) has developed a new type of LIDAR system for monitoring profiles of atmospheric refractive turbulence. The system makes real-time measurements by projecting a laser beam to form a laser beacon at several successive altitudes. The beacon is observed with a multiple-aperture telescope and the motion of the beacon images from each altitude is characterized as the differential image motion variance. An inversion algorithm has been developed to retrieve the turbulence profile. GTRI built a brassboard version of the LIDAR instrument and tested it in October and December 2007, with truth data from scintillometers and from balloon-borne microthermal probes. The tests resulted in the first time-height diagram of the strength of turbulence ever recorded by a LIDAR.

Citation Download Citation

Gary G. Gimmestad, David W. Roberts, John M. Stewart, Jack W. Wood, and Frank D. Eaton "Testing of LIDAR system for turbulence profiles", Proc. SPIE 6951, Atmospheric Propagation V, 695109 (18 April 2008); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.792204

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE