Innovation and Development

First Vehicular Sodium Wind/Temperature Lidar Developed

From Dec. 28 to 30, 2010, observations were made using the vehicular sodium wind/temperature lidar independently developed by the Laboratory for Near-Earth Space Environment Research, Center for Space Science and Applied Research (CSSAR), CAS, and the parameters of the atmosphere in the mesopause region (80-105km) including 3D wind field, temperature and the sodium atom density were successfully obtained. The lidar emits a narrow linewidth 589nm laser to sodium layer in the mesopause region to induce fluorescence, and then the wind speed and temperature information can be acquired through the measurement and analysis of the Doppler shift and broadening of the fluorescence signals. The lidar is composed of the transmitter system, the receiver system, the data acquisition and controlling system and the data processing and analysis system. This observation marks the successful development of the world’s first vehicular sodium wind/temperature lidar and is of great importance to the near-earth space environment research.