Work

Simulation of a spaceborne continuous-wave sodium lidar for the global mesopause region temperature/wind measurements

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: We present the design of a continuous-wave (CW) sodium lidar system for spaceborne detection. Unlike conventional all-solid-state pulse sodium lidar systems that employ dual Nd: YAG lasers for sum-frequency generation, the proposed CW system adopts a compact laser architecture based on established ground-based implementations. The system transmits continuous lasers modulated by a precisely controlled pseudo-random M-sequence, enabling distance-resolved measurements from space. This study presents the theoretical design of the satellite orbit, the system configuration, and the measurement strategy along with simulations of return signals and an analysis of retrieval errors in temperature, zonal wind, and meridional wind in the mesopause region. Additionally, we assess the impact of mechanical alignment errors and environmental variability on measurement accuracy. Results demonstrate the feasibility of deploying a CW sodium lidar system for measuring global mesopause temperatures and winds from space.

Source: Optics Express

DOI: 10.1364/oe.571027

Authors: Ao Shen, Xin Fang, Chengyun Yang, Tao Li

Language: English

Topic: Atmospheric aerosols and clouds

Subfield: Global and Planetary Change

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,270

Funder: National Natural Science Foundation of China

Award: G7507181448