Micro pulse lidar daytime performance: simulations and observations

Relatively low-cost, eye-safe lidars are now possible with recent technological advances in lasers and detectors. Both diode pumped Nd:YAG/YLF and AlGaAs diode lasers are viable candidates for the low energy, high rep-rate lidar transmitter sources required for eye safety. High quantum efficiency photon counting avalanche photodiodes (APDs) permit efficient detection of the weak lidar returns plus an effective means for averaging over the large number of pulses needed to achieve acceptable signal to noise ratios (SNRs). A critical question as to the feasibility of this micro pulse lidar (MPL) approach is whether acceptable SNRs can be obtained for daytime operation. This paper presents simulations of expected performance for an MPL similar to a system now under field test at the DOE ARM CART site, the results of which are compared with sample observations obtained with this field system