Eyesafe coherent detection wind lidar based on a beam-combined pulsed laser source

Area of Science:

• Atmospheric Science
• Optical Engineering
• Laser Technology

Background:

• Coherent wind lidar systems are crucial for atmospheric measurements.
• Improving the performance of lidar systems is an ongoing research area.
• Fiber amplifiers offer potential for high-power laser sources in lidar.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the performance of a coherent wind lidar using a combined-amplifier fiber laser source.
• To compare the lidar's performance metrics against a single-amplifier source.
• To determine the suitability of combined sources for enhancing lidar capabilities.

Main Methods:

• Construction of a coherent wind lidar system utilizing two coherently-beam-combined fiber amplifiers.
• Performance evaluation based on carrier-to-noise ratio (CNR) and wind speed noise floor.
• Comparative analysis between the combined-amplifier and single-amplifier configurations.

Main Results:

• Lidar performance, measured by CNR and wind speed noise floor, was not degraded by the combined amplifier source.
• The performance of the combined-amplifier lidar closely approached theoretical optimums.
• No significant difference in lidar performance was observed between single and combined amplifier setups.

Conclusions:

• Combined fiber amplifiers are well-suited for coherent wind lidar applications.
• This technology can improve the accuracy, measurement range, and integration time of wind lidar systems.
• The findings support the use of combined sources for advanced atmospheric monitoring.