Effect of aerosol particle microstructure on cw Doppler lidar signal statistics

Analysis of signal statistical characteristics is carried out, and estimation errors of the radial wind velocity are calculated by use of numerical simulation of a cw Doppler lidar return, taking into account the atmospheric aerosol microstructure. It has been found that, at small sounded volume, the large particles contribute significantly to the scattered field. As a result the lidar return probability density function distribution can differ significantly from a Gaussian distribution. Neglect of the aerosol microstructure effect results in considerable underestimation of the error of cw Doppler lidar velocity estimates at small sounded volume.