Abstract

The $1.56\mathrm{\mu m}$ eye-safe aerosol lidar at the Institut für Meteorologie und Klimaforschung was upgraded, which resulted in a doubled laser pulse energy of $0.28\mathrm{J}$ and an improved performance of the detection electronics. The high pulse energy, achieved by stimulated Raman backscattering of $0.9\mathrm{J}$ from a $\mathrm{Nd}\text{:}\mathrm{YAG}$ laser in deuterium (33% conversion efficiency when neglecting the residual optical losses), was mainly achieved by improving the beam quality of the pump beam. The Stokes pulses showed a subnanosecond peak with some underlying $10\mathrm{ns}$ component. Because of the substantial increase in pulse energy, this reliable and simple method considerably gains in value. Examples are presented, demonstrating an operating range between 0.4 and more than $10\mathrm{km}$ for quasi-horizontal measurements.

© 2010 Optical Society of America

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