Correction of distortion in a ground-based Doppler asymmetric spatial heterodyne interferometer

Ground-based Doppler asymmetric spatial heterodyne interferometry retrieves upper atmospheric winds by calculating the phase shift in the interferogram resulting from the Doppler shift of airglow emission lines. However, in practical applications, interferogram distortion, such as fringe bending and tilting, can adversely affect wind accuracy. This paper presents a distortion correction method based on the resampling matrix that can be obtained from an interferogram of airglow lines or a calibration lamp. The method is straightforward to implement, capable of addressing various types of distortions, and notably reduces wind uncertainty in interferograms with low signal-to-noise ratios. Laboratory tests and field results verify that the interferograms corrected by this method not only yield accurate wind measurements but also reduce the standard deviation of retrieved wind for the average fringes corresponding to different rows of the interferogram.