Scattering of Laser Radiation in the Earth’s Atmosphere and Its Influence on the Operation of Quasi-Continuous Lidar

Resumo

The paper presents the results of theoretical and experimental study of the backscattering of light in ground tests of a space lidar operating in the continuous or quasi-continuous mode when the time gating and the elimination of the effect of backscattering of light in the atmosphere on the received signal are impossible. The small discrepancy between the theoretical and experimental data caused by cloudy weather and the presence of moisture in the atmosphere is explained. The backscattering is reduced to the magnitude of the photodetector noise by increasing the distance between the receiver and the transmitter by 25 cm.