Short-range supercontinuum based liDar for temperature profiling

Abstract

Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) is a remote-sensing technique based on collection of back scattered (optical frequency) electromagnetic radiation from a target point. The interaction of this radiation with surrounding gases and aerosol particles pave way for the measurement of various surrounding variables, including temperature, pressure, humidity and trace gases concentration. Although the LIDAR technique has been consistently used to measure various observables, the technique is typically limited to one specie at a time. However, this limitation can be mitigated using supercontinuum (SC) sources, which provides a broad spectrum [1] covering the absorption bands of all the investigated gases. Thus, opening the door for simultaneous detection of multiple species [2].