Experimental discussion on eye-safe 1.54 mu m photon counting lidar using avalanche photodiode

摘要

A Mie lidar system with an eye-safe wavelength of 1.54mum was developed and its performance characteristics were experimentally discussed. The wavelength was generated by a Nd:YAG based methane-shifted Raman laser. The collected backscattering light was detected by an InGaAs avalanche photodiode working in photon counting mode at that wavelength. Results of atmospheric observation showed clearly the dynamics of multi-layered clouds up to an altitude of 7 km. The system's performance was confirmed on the point of signal to noise ratio in both the observation and the simulation. Advantages of the eye-safe 1.54mum wavelength in lidar atmospheric research and system limitations were discussed. (C) 2004 The Optical Society of Japan.