Scanning eye-safe elastic backscatter lidar at 1.54 μm

A field-deployable scanning direct-detection elastic backscatter lidar system that is eye safe at all ranges is presented. The first two-dimensional spatial images created by scanning this new 1.54-mu m wavelength system, and time-lapse animations (viewable in the online version of this article) of those spatial images, are shown. The system has a useful range from approximately 500 m to several kilometers or more (depending on weather conditions) with 3-m range resolution. The time-lapse animations reveal the advection of the macroscopic structure of aerosol scattering due to atmospheric motion. The images and animations are ideal for the location of sources of pollutants and their dispersal and the elucidation of structure in the cloud-free atmosphere. Most importantly, the data presented were collected in a populated area, which would have not been possible with a non-eye-safe system.