Mobile lidar system for environmental probing

A fully mobile remote-sensing system based on the lidar principle is described. With this system, atmospheric probing using Mie scattering, differential absorption, or Raman techniques can be performed yielding information on atmospheric pollutants or general atmospheric parameters. The system incorporates a powerful Nd:YAG laser pumping a dye laser and is equipped with a fixed Newtonian telescope used in conjunction with a flat steering mirror. The lidar signals are electrically recorded using a fast-transient digitizer and are processed by a minicomputer, which also controls the laser, the chosen measuring direction, and the output media. Examples of measurements on atmospheric NO(2) and SO(2) are given.