Estimate optimization parameters for incoherent backscatter heterodyne lidar including unknown return signal...

Area of Science:

• Atmospheric science
• Optical physics
• Signal processing

Background:

• Heterodyne atmospheric lidar systems are crucial for remote sensing.
• Optimizing measurement precision is key for accurate atmospheric profiling.
• Extended targets present unique challenges for lidar data analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate conditions for optimizing precision in heterodyne atmospheric lidar using extended targets.
• Determine the impact of parameter knowledge on measurement precision.
• Clarify the trade-off between estimate precision and range weighting.

Main Methods:

• Theoretical investigation of measurement precision.
• Analysis of parameter dependencies at optimal power levels.
• Simulation-based confirmation of results under ideal conditions.

Main Results:

• Minimum standard deviation for return power, Doppler shift, and signal bandwidth is approximately twice the optical limit.
• Parameter precision shows weak dependence on other unknown parameters at optimal power.
• Stronger signal power levels are required for accurate bandwidth estimation.

Conclusions:

• Optimal power levels achieve near-optical precision for lidar measurements with deep targets.
• Time-bandwidth product effectively visualizes the precision-weighting trade-off.
• Simulations validate the findings for ideal conditions.