Miniaturization of elastic scattering lidars: determination of the microstructure of the surface layer of the atmosphere

Miniature elastic scattering lidars with similar schemes for determining the microstructure of the surface layer of the atmosphere are considered. In the considered microlidar model, it is assumed that in the limiting case there may be no particles in a small probed volume. In this case, the minimum value of the return signal corresponds to molecular scattering. The excess of the signal above this level is associated with the presence of a particle. The molecular component of the backscatter signal is constant and can be compared to a tabulated value of the backscatter coefficient using an optical atmospheric model. This makes it possible to compare the average value of the total backscattering signal from molecules and particles with the overall backscattering coefficient. A scheme similar to a microlidar, but on an enlarged scale – a minilidar – is considered. For both such schemes, the average values of atmospheric backscatter signals are the same. For a minilidar, the return signal is formed by scattering from a layer ranging in size from several meters to several tens of meters. In this case, the probed volume can be determined using perforated screens and reflective spheres. It is shown that the ratio of the probed volumes for the minilidar and microlidar is equal to the similarity coefficient to the fourth power. The considered lidars can be used to determine the concentration of equivalent particles.

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