Atmospheric lidar techniques for the measurement of wind, temperature, and optical properties of aerosols rely on the exact knowledge of the spectral line shape of the scattered laser light on molecules. We report on spontaneous Rayleigh–Brillouin scattering measurements in the ultraviolet at a scattering angle of $90°$ on ${\mathrm{N}}_2$ and on dry and moist air. The measured line shapes are compared to the Tenti S6 model, which is shown to describe the scattering line shapes in air at atmospheric pressures with small but significant deviations. We demonstrate that the line profiles of ${\mathrm{N}}_2$ and air under equal pressure and temperature conditions differ significantly, and that this difference can be described by the S6 model. Moreover, we show that even a high water vapor content in air up to a volume fraction of $3.6\text{vol.}\%$ has no influence on the line shape of the scattered light. The results are of relevance for the future spaceborne lidars on ADM-Aeolus (Atmospheric Dynamics Mission) and EarthCARE (Earth Clouds, Aerosols, and Radiation Explorer).

© 2010 Optical Society of America

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Citation lists with outbound citation links are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an OSA member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Log in to access OSA Member Subscription

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Cited by links are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an OSA member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Log in to access OSA Member Subscription

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Figure files are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an OSA member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Log in to access OSA Member Subscription

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Article level metrics are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an OSA member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Log in to access OSA Member Subscription

Related Journal Articles

• Molecular Backscatter Heterodyne Lidar: A Computational Evaluation (AO)
• Backscattering Measurements of Atmospheric Aerosols at CO₂ Laser Wavelengths: Implications of Aerosol Spectral Structure on Differential-Absorption Lidar Retrievals of Molecular Species (AO)
• Experimental Verification and Theory for an Eight-Element Multiple-Aperture Equal-Gain Coherent Laser Receiver for Laser Communications (AO)
• Measurement of the Lidar Ratio for Atmospheric Aerosols with a 180° Backscatter Nephelometer (AO)
• Rayleigh-Mie Doppler wind lidar for atmospheric measurements. I. Instrumental setup, validation, and first climatological results (AO)

Related Conference Papers

• Detection of explosives and explosive-related compounds by ultraviolet cavity ring-down spectroscopy
• Recent advances in the HITRAN spectroscopic database for atmospheric and environmental modeling
• Intra- and Intermolecular THz Deformation Modes in Biomolecular Crystals: The Role of Hydrogen Bonds
• Frequency-Resolved Coherent LIDAR Using a Femtosecond Fiber Laser
• Fiber-Based Coherent Lidar for Target Ranging, Velocimetry, and Atmospheric Wind Sensing