Upgraded 1.56 microm lidar at IMK-IFU with 0.28 J/pulse

The 1.56 microm eye-safe aerosol lidar at the Institut für Meteorologie und Klimaforschung was upgraded, which resulted in a doubled laser pulse energy of 0.28 J and an improved performance of the detection electronics. The high pulse energy, achieved by stimulated Raman backscattering of 0.9 J from a Nd:YAG laser in deuterium (33% conversion efficiency when neglecting the residual optical losses), was mainly achieved by improving the beam quality of the pump beam. The Stokes pulses showed a subnanosecond peak with some underlying 10 ns component. Because of the substantial increase in pulse energy, this reliable and simple method considerably gains in value. Examples are presented, demonstrating an operating range between 0.4 and more than 10 km for quasi-horizontal measurements.