Effects of the Wave-Number Spectrum of a Sea Surface on Laser Beam Reflection.

摘要

The reflection of a pulsed laser beam from a sea surface depends on the diameter of the beam and on the wave-number spectrum of the water surface. General expressions are derived for the influence on the reflection of the mean height and slope of waves in the illuminated area as well as the variation of the height and slope within this area. The results are applied to applications of airborne lasers for wave height profiling, altimetry, and water depth sounding. The optimum beam diameter depends on both the application and the wave-number spectrum of the water surface. (Author)