Abstract

Narrowband, frequency stable, pulsed laser sources are required for lidar remote sensing of atmospheric temperature, pressure, water vapor, minor species, or wherever narrow spectral features are essential for the measurement. Spaceborne lidar remote sensing systems require lasers with the highest efficiency possible, due to the constraints of limited power, weight, and size. In many instances, this implies a multi-spatial mode laser system. NASA’s Laboratory for Atmospheres has developed a differential absorption lidar system using pulsed multimode alexandrite lasers to measure atmospheric temperature profiles by measuring oxygen absorption on high J lines in the A band, near 770 nm. These spectral lines have a full width of 0.07 cm^-1 at one atmosphere of pressure, and a full doppler width of 0.03 cm^-1. This implies a requirement on the laser frequency stability and setting of approximately 0.001 cm^-1. In this paper we describe the experimental development of a frequency stabilized diode laser and its use to injection seed a pulsed alexandrite laser.

© 1990 Optical Society of America