Interference of backscatter from two droplets in a focused continuous-wave CO2 Doppler lidar beam

摘要

With a focused continuous-wave CO↓(2) Doppler lidar at 9.1-μm wavelength, the superposition of back-scatter from two ~14.12-μm-diameter silicone oil droplets in the lidar beam produced interference that resulted in a single backscatter pulse from the two droplets with a distinct periodic structure. This interference is caused by the phase difference in backscatter from the two droplets while they are traversing the lidar beam at different speeds, and thus the droplet separation is not constant. The complete cycle of interference, with periodicity 2π, gives excellent agreement between measurements and lidar theory. #1999 Optical Society of America OCIS codes: 010.3640, 280.3640, 290.1350, 260.3160, 350.5036, 030.0030.