Pseudorandom modulation continuous-wave narrowband sodium temperature and wind lidar

Abstract

Abstract. We report the first pseudorandom modulation continuous-wave (PMCW) narrowband sodium temperature and wind lidar developed at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC). The laser system uses a 1178 nm diode seed laser and a fiber Raman amplifier with a fiber-coupled acousto-optic frequency shifter (AOFS) to generate a narrowband 589.158 nm light with an output power of 1.5 W at three frequencies of v0, v+, and v−. Based on an innovative technique and algorithm, the main beam and the residual beam modulated by electro-optic modulator (EOM) with M pseudorandom sequence code (M-code) are separately directed to the vertical and eastward directions. The three-frequency light is designed in timing with the multiple-period 127-bit M-code groups. The uncertainties of the temperature and wind with the vertical and temporal resolutions of 1 km and 30 min under clear-sky conditions are estimated to be 5.0 K and 10 m s−1, respectively, at the sodium peak. The temperature and wind results are in good agreement with those observed by satellite and nearby ground-based meteor radar, demonstrating the reliability of the PMCW narrowband sodium lidar system for measuring the mesopause region's temperature and wind.