Progress on Raman laser for sodium resonance fluorescence lidar

Diode-pumped Alexandrite laser instrument for next generation satellite-based Earth observation

“…The total length of the resonator is approximately 1000 mm. (5), mirror on piezo-actor for stabilization of the cavity length (6), convex curved mirror (7), Faraday Rotator (8), half-wave plate (9), Brewster Pockels cell (10), thin-film polarizer (11). SLM operation of the Alexandrite laser is achieved by a commercial external cavity diode seed laser that operates at the desired wavelength in cw operation.…”

“…One well-established approach to provide such data is to measure the Doppler-broadened and -shifted resonance line of metal atoms, e.g. potassium (770 nm or 772 nm) [6,7], iron (386 nm) [8,9] and sodium (589 nm) [10][11][12], by means of a Doppler lidar.…”

“…One well-established approach to provide such data is to measure the Doppler-broadened and -shifted resonance line of metal atoms, e.g. potassium (770 nm or 772 nm) [6,7], iron (386 nm) [8,9] and sodium (589 nm) [10][11][12], by means of a Doppler lidar.While localized measurements have been performed over the last 20 years from the ground and revealed fundamental deviations from the predicted conditions, there is no coverage of global scale by lidar. The development of a spaceborne resonance lidar instrument is deferred by the lack of laser sources at the demanded wavelengths that are suitable for spaceborne operation.The currently used Alexandrite (Cr 3+ :BeAl2O4) lasers with their broad tunability (700-800 nm) [13] are well suited for the generation of several interesting wavelengths, either operating at their fundamental wavelength or intra-cavity frequency-doubled.…”

“…To address the resonance line of sodium a 589 nm there are two approaches already aiming for a spaceborne mission by allowing leverage from previous space-qualified lasers. The first system uses the second harmonic of a Raman-shifted Nd:YVO4 laser [11] and the second system is mixing the output of two Nd:YAG lasers, one emitting at 1064 nm and one at 1319 nm [12].…”

Diode-pumped Alexandrite laser for next generation satellite-based earth observation lidar

“…The effects of gravity waves on the global wind system and atmospheric dynamics are hardly understood and item of research of space agencies and ground-based observations [1][2][3][4][5][6]. One well-established approach to provide such data is to measure the Doppler-broadened and Doppler-shifted resonance line of metal atoms, e.g., potassium (770 nm or 766 nm) [6,7], iron (386 nm or 372 nm) [8,9] and sodium (589 nm) [10][11][12], by means of a Doppler lidar.…”