Laser polarimetric remote sensing is successfully used to study optical characteristics of the atmosphere. Measurements of the elements of full scattering matrix provide an adequate description of optical and morphological parameters and orientation of particles in the atmosphere. A matrix polarization lidar (MPL) operating on the main laser emission lines of 355, 532, and 1064 nm is proposed. The solution is based on the use of not only birefringence, but also optical dispersion of crystals used for the selection of orthogonal components of received backscattering radiation. Experimental results and modeling show the prospects of the chosen direction of development of the matrix polarization lidar.
The results of experimental determining the morphological and other optical characteristics of the Asian dust show the crucial role of measuring the scattering matrix of particles using a polarization lidar. The accumulated experience of polarization measurements allows the matrix polarization lidar to be designed optimally and the calibration problem to be formulated and solved. Optimality is understood here as simplifying the unit changing the lidar phase plates from four to one plate in the transmitter and receiver. To provide the transition to angular phase plate rotations, the problem of the optimal set of the phase plate states and the problem of measurement sample size are solved. The problem of calibration of the optimal polarization lidar is considered.
Interpretation of the data from lidar studies of high-level clouds requires information on the vertical profiles of meteorological quantities. The nearest aerological stations to Tomsk are located at about 250 km away from the city and launch radiosondes only twice a day. The ERA5 reanalysis was considered as a source of vertical profiles, which provides higher spatial and temporal resolution. It is compared with the aerological data, and the possibility of its using was evaluated in this research.
The results of complex lidar-actinometric experiments to study of the optical properties of high-level clouds (HLCs) and their effect on the solar radiation fluxes measured near the Earth's surface are described. Optical, microphysical (orientation of ice particles), and geometric characteristics of natural and anthropogenic (contrails) HLCs are estimated according to the data on polarization laser sensing. It is shown that the crystal orientation in cirrus affects significantly the transmission of short-wave solar radiation.
The results of a complex pyranometric-lidar experiment are discussed. The optical and geometric characteristics of the high-level clouds (HLCs) are estimated from the polarization laser sensing data. Scattered radiation was recorded in the near-zenith area using a zenith-directed pyranometer simultaneously with the lidar measurements. The change in the diurnal variation of the pyranometer signal at the time corresponding to the lidar registration of the HLCs with a preferred horizontal orientation of ice crystals (specular clouds) is shown.
Results of the complex lidar and actinometric studies of the characteristics of cirrus containing crystalline ice particles are discussed. The greatest attention is paid to clouds consisting of horizontally oriented ensembles of ice crystals. Orientation of the crystalline particles in clouds is estimated from the backscattering phase matrix, which is determined based on the data obtained with the polarization lidar directed vertically to the zenith. Solar radiation fluxes are measured using the standard methods with an actinometer and a pyranometer. It is shown that under certain weather conditions ice crystals at altitudes of cirrus formation can be oriented horizontally, which significantly affects the transmission of solar radiation.
Results of the joint lidar-actinometric experiment on the study of optical properties of high-level clouds and their effect on the solar radiation fluxes measured at the Earth's surface are described. Conclusions about the effect of specular clouds on a decrease in radiation fluxes compared to non-specular ones depending on the Sun’s zenith position are drawn.
Results of the experiments on laser polarization sensing of high-level clouds with anomalous backscattering (specular clouds) performed with the high-altitude polarization lidar developed at National Research Tomsk State University (NR TSU) with a short lidar return accumulation time (about 3 minutes) are described. It has been shown that the preferred horizontal orientation of ice crystals in clouds is manifested even at such a short signal accumulation time intervals. Interpretation of the results of the experiment with longer accumulation leads to the identification of a cloud as a specular one despite the presence of not only a specular, but also non-specular local areas in it.
A stand for conducting experiments on Raman scattering on water particles was created at the Siberian lidar station. The radiation source (355 nm laser) and the scattered radiation intensity measurement unit are located on a common massive base. The source and the measurement unit are separated by a distance of ~10 meters. Selection of radiation at the source output is performed using a prism. The control unit synchronizes the processes of generating water drops, starting the source when the drop reaches the scattering plane, and registering scattered Raman radiation in the range of angles from ~20 to ~1780.
Optical models of high-level clouds (HLCs) used for calculation of radiation fluxes in the atmosphere are analyzed briefly. Results of the experiments on polarization laser sensing of cirrus performed with the lidar developed at the National Research Tomsk State University are described. Optical and microphysical characteristics of such clouds obtained from the results of measurements of their entire backscattering phase matrices are presented. It is shown that the orientation of crystals in the cirrus significantly affects the transmission of shortwave solar radiation. This fact proves incorrectness of the representation of real crystalline particles in HLCs with spherical particles with the corresponding effective radii during calculating the Earth’s radiation budget.
Differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) gas-analyzer was successfully tested. Ultraviolet light emitting diodes and high pressure Xe arc lamp were employed as a light sources. Recent developments in fibre-coupling telescope technology and the availability of UV LEDs allowed us to construct a portable instrument. The DOAS system consisted of a coaxial telescope, a spectrometer, and retroreflector. Gas analyzer spectral data bank includes more than 40 molecules absorbed in UV spectral region. Minimally detected concentration is the unit of ppb on paths up to 500 m. The results of the field test measurements of pollutants in Tomsk are presented
Results of the experiments on polarization laser sensing of aircraft contrails performed with the lidar developed at the National Research Tomsk State University are described. The altitudes of the lower and upper borders, backscattering phase matrices, optical thickness, and scattering ratios of the observed aerosol formations are determined. Microstructure parameters of the contrails are estimated by comparing the elements of backscattering phase matrices not only obtained from lidar experiments, but also calculated theoretically. The meteorological conditions for the formation of the preferred horizontal spatial orientation of ice crystals in contrails are established.
For microparticles, the intensity of spontaneous scattering is directly proportional to the volume. However, model calculations show that when the particle dimension parameter increases in the region 0.5<x<10, the backscattering efficiency increases sharply up to a value of 2.7 and then decreases gradually (excluding resonance effects) down to a value of 1.8 in the region10<x<500. This fact should be taken into account when determining the water content in clouds with a Raman lidar. A technique for measuring the phase function of Raman scattering on single water particles in the laboratory conditions is proposed. An experimental setup for measuring the phase function of Raman scattering on spherical liquid droplets is created and tested.
The software complex for automation of processing the results of the experiments on sensing of high-level clouds with the high-altitude polarization lidar developed at National Research Tomsk State University is described. The software performs the following operations: preliminary processing and visualizing experimental data; calculating optical and geometrical characteristics of the observed aerosol layers; downloading meteorological data corresponding to the place, date, and time of the lidar experiment; as well as forming summary report on the performed processing.
Asian dust is generated and transferred subsequently over long distances every year. This phenomenon affects significantly the environment, agriculture, and health of people. Lidar sensing plays a leading role in studies of this phenomenon, since it allows the spatio-temporal distribution of optical characteristics of the dust and its effect on the propagation of solar radiation in the Earth's atmosphere to be registered. Taking into account these possibilities, a multiwave high resolution lidar has been designed and constructed for studying Asian dust. The lidar is mounted in Daejeon, Republic of Korea. Preliminary measurements showed the effectiveness of the proposed lidar concept. This work was supported in part Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation within the framework of the Tomsk State University Academic D. I. Mendeleev Fund Program and the Korea Meteorological Administration Research and Development Program (Grant No. KMI2017-6030).
This paper reports on an experimental study which was carried out to evaluate the performance of thermally induced polarization distortions of the contrast ratio of an electro-optical shutter. Thermal stabilization of electro-optic crystals in shutter is used for reducing thermo-optic effects influents for contrast ratio for strobing the lidar signal.
A complex experiment on the investigation of radiation characteristics of cirrus is performing since 2016. In the experiment, solar radiation fluxes are measured near the Earth’s surface and the orientation degree of ice crystals in cirrus is estimated using a polarization lidar. Results of the experiment are discussed. Significant effect of the orientation degree of cirrus particles on the transmission of solar radiation is found in a number of experiments.
The method of differential optical absorption spectroscopy is an effective tool for open-path measurements of atmospheric gases and impurities. The gas analyzers based on this method traditionally include a high pressure xenon lamp as the radiation source, that require high voltage, which makes gas analyzers are bulky and power-inefficient. Recent developments in fiber-coupling telescope technology and the availability of ultraviolet light emitting diodes have now allowed us to construct a portable, long path gas analyzer. The gas analyzer comprises two UV-LEDs emitting in the near UV-region of the spectrum, the system of optical fibers, a receiving-transmitting telescope, and spectrometer and treatment system. There are presents a description of the methodology and results of the measurement of chlorine and bromine oxides with gas analyzer based on UV-LEDs.
The paper presents the results of numerical simulation of the dispersion properties of surface plasmon-polaritons at the interface between an active composite medium based on metallic nanoparticles and a substrate of the same metals in the visible wavelength range. It is shown that the amplification and dispersion properties of surface plasmon polaritons in these structures can be varied within wide limits by varying the concentration of nanoparticles.
The studies have shown that films with different thicknesses, but practically identical transmittance values, give absolutely different results. This suggests that in addition to transmission, the generation characteristics are significantly affected by the thickness of the matrix being researched.
In the present report, results of the experiment on polarization laser sensing of contrails performed for one and a half days are discussed. The altitudes of boundaries of the aerosol layers, their backscattering matrices, optical thicknesses, and scattering ratios are determined. The vertical profiles of lidar returns are analyzed. The results are compared with the meteorological data at the altitudes of formation of high-level clouds.
In the paper the analyses of the lidar measurements data of optical parameters of the cirrus clouds over the Tomsk city are presented. The valuation of the microphysical properties of the cirrus clouds was done by the backscattering matrices that were measured by the high-altitude polarization lidar (wavelength is 0.532 μm) from National Research Tomsk State University in 2016-2018. For the interpretation of the laser sensing data we used the backscattering matrices database designed in V.E. Zuev Institute of Atmospheric Optics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Siberian Branch. An attempt to interpret the measured matrix using the quasi-horizontal orientated hexagonal columns with the 1000 μm modal size Lmod is incorrect in view of the fact that the particles with this size are very unlikely in existence of nature. It was demonstrated that the calculated backscattering matrices together with proposed algorithm could be used for the valuation of microphysical properties of the measured backscattering matrices.
The results of the investigation of radiation characteristics of cirrus consisting of crystalline ice particles with a preferred orientation are discussed. The orientation degree of particles is estimated from the backscattering phase matrices, which are determined with the high-altitude polarization lidar developed at National Research Tomsk State University. It is shown that the orientation of ice crystals in clouds with anomalously high backscattering affects significantly the transmission of solar radiation.
Modern UV LEDs represent a potentially very advantageous alternative to thermal light sources, in particular xenon arc lamps, which are the most common light sources in trace gas-analyzers. So, the light-emitting diodes are very attractive for use of as light sources for Long Path Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) measurements of trace gases in the open atmosphere. Recent developments in fibre-coupling telescope technology and the availability of ultraviolet light emitting diodes have now allowed us to construct a portable, long path DOAS instrument for use at remote locations and specifically for measuring degassing from active volcanic systems. First of all, we are talking about the measurement of sulphur dioxide, carbon disulphide and, oxides of chlorine and bromine. The parallel measurements of sulfur dioxide using a certified gas analyzer, were conducted and showed good correlation.
The cross-sections of attenuation, scattering and absorption of spherically aggregated metal nanoparticles in dependence on the aggregate size, the degree of its filling with nanoparticles and physical properties of nanoparticle material have been estimated, according to the model of the effective medium and the theory of G. Mie. In that case, the concentration of the nanoparticles changes radially.
The paper presents the results of the Helmholtz equation solution by the method of perturbation theory in the spherical coordinate system for the Debye potentials for weakly heterogeneous media based on metal nanoparticles and the dielectric matrix. In that case, the dielectric function of a composite changes in space in the radial direction.
Results of complex experiments, in which flows of solar radiation are measured near the Earth’s surface in the presence of cirrus cloudiness and the orientation degree of ice crystals in cirrus is estimated using a polarization lidar, are discussed. Significant effect of the orientation degree of cirrus particles on the transmission of solar radiation is found in a number of experiments.
Results of experiments on polarization laser sensing of high-level clouds performed at the high-altitude polarization lidar developed at National Research Tomsk State University are discussed. It is shown that orientation of crystalline ice particles in a cloud leads to different values of the measured depolarization ratio for the same cloud, which depends significantly on the azimuthal orientation of the polarization plane of sensing radiation.
Although the fact that lidars are used more than half a century, so many of the technical and methodological problem of the laser sensing has not been resolved. Laser sensing of optically dense aerosol formations (such as clouds or fog) belongs to the need of careful study. This is because the lidar signal from such formations is due not only single, but also multiple scattering, which significantly affects both the intensity value and the state of polarization of the received radiation. We have obtained an analytical expression for the time delay of the lidar return from the cloud layer due to multiple scattering. It is shown that the value of this lidar return is determined by the lower boundary, the microstructure and the thickness of the cloud layer, and a field-of-view of lidar receiving system.
An active differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) gas-analyzer was successfully tested. The DOAS system consisted of a coaxial telescope, a spectrometer, an analyzer and retroreflector. A high pressure 150-W Xe arc lamp and UV LEDs were employed as a light source. In order to record the spectra, a monochrometer with a grating and photodiode array was adopted. Gas analyzer spectral data bank includes more than 40 molecules absorbed in UV spectral region. The measured absorption spectra were evaluated by using a least-squares fit to determine the average mixing ratio of each species in the atmosphere. As a result of experiments time series of concentrations of gases polluting the atmosphere were trace measured. Minimally detected concentration is the unit of ppb on path length from 200 to 500 m at the time of accumulation up to 3 minute. The results of the field test measurements of pollutants in Tomsk are presented.
Asian dust appears in the atmosphere in spring, spreads over long distances, and affects significantly on the environment. Scattering and absorption of Asian dust can be observed in the atmosphere at different angles on the basis of diurnal movement of the Sun. For this purpose, we used a solar tracker, which provides the Sun pointing and tracking. We present an optimal optical model of the solar tracker for atmospheric spectroscopy. A solution of the problem of loss stability of еру tracker pointing at the Sun near the zenith is shown. Test results demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed optimization methods.
The paper gives the results of computer simulating reflectivity of a flat structure made of composite material on the basis of Ag, Ni, Al, Cu nanoparticles and a substrate of the same metals within the visible wavelength range. The possibility of broadband optical antireflection of a metal surface using nanoparticles of the same metals by forming in the near surface layer of the metal being made anti-reflecting a composite layer is researched. Within the visible wavelength range the dispersion characteristics of the reflectivity of the composite metal-dielectric layer on a metal substrate have been calculated for different values of the filling factor and the thickness of the composite layer both for the metals having plasmon resonances (Ag, Cu) within the visible range and for the metals plasmon resonances of which do not fall in the visible wavelength range (Al, Ni).
The paper presents the results of researching surface plasmon polaritons dispersion on the "composite medium and metal substrate" border within a visible wavelength range. The composite dielectric function varies in space according to the periodic law. The solution to this problem has been presented as an inhomogeneous wave for which the field amplitude distribution has been written in an analytical form and dispersion relations have been obtained.
Results of observation of the dynamics of evolution and decay of an aircraft condensation jet are described. Polarization lidar is used to determine the upper and lower boundaries of the aerosol layer, its optical thickness, scattering ratio, and backscattering phase matrix.
The problem an estimation of influence the crystal orientation in the ice clouds on the radiation transmission is solved. The technique of synchronous measurements of total radiation with the calculation of the backscattering matrix cirrus clouds using lidar is provided.
Joint analysis of the data on polarization laser sensing of cirrus obtained using the ground based polarization laser developed at National Research Tomsk State University (Russia, Tomsk) with the results of theoretical calculations is described. The possibility of estimation of the microstructure parameters of cirrus with a preferred orientation of ice crystals on the basis of comparison of the backscattering phase matrices obtained experimentally and calculated theoretically is discussed.
In this paper present an example of joint analysis of the data of high-level cloud sensing with a ground based polarization lidar of Tomsk State University and satellite radiometer MODIS.
In the paper comparative evaluation of the photon mean free path in the system of metal nanoparticles and dielectric matrix is performed by means of numerical simulations. As a material of nanoparticles both metals (Ag, Cu) in which the frequency of plasmon resonance falls in the range under study and metals (Al, Ni) in which the plasmon resonance frequency is far from the investigated range have been used. The research has shown that for the studied metals the media based on Al nanoparticles satisfy best the Ioffe-Regel criterion for photons of visible wavelength range.
A differential optical absorption spectroscopy gas-analyzer consisted of a coaxial telescope, a spectrometer, an analyzer and retroreflector was successfully tested. A high pressure 150-W Xe arc lamp was employed as a light source. In order to record the spectra, a monochrometer with a grating and photodiode array was used. Gas analyzer spectral data bank includes more than 35 moleculas absorbed in UV spectral region. The measured absorption spectra were evaluated by using a least-squares fit to determine the average mixing ratio of each species in the atmosphere. As a result of experiments time series of concentrations of gases polluting the atmosphere were trace measured. Minimally detected concentration on pathlength 480 m is the unit of ppb at the time of accumulation of 2 min. The results of the field test measurements of pollutants in Tomsk city are presented.
The article presents the results of computing simulation of surface plasmon-polaritons’ dispersive properties at the interface between «a composite medium based on Al, Ag, Ni, Cu nanoparticles and a substrate made of the same metals» in the visible wavelength band. It is shown that the surface plasmon-polaritons’ dispersive properties in these structures can be changed in a wide range by altering the nanoparticles concentration.
Methodology for determination of the optical and geometric characteristics of clouds is described. Problems of processing data obtained in experiments on polarization laser sensing of the atmosphere are discussed. Technique for reduction of the phase matrices of cirrus obtained with the high-altitude polarization lidar developed at National Research Tomsk State University to the symmetry plane affixed to the preferred orientation of ice crystals in cirrus is described. The experimental data are compared with the data of numerical modeling of phase matrices in the physical optics approximation and meteorological conditions over the lidar at cirrus altitudes.
Experimental data on the variability of vertical and temporal aerosol structure obtained with a lidar complex comprising the TSU high-altitude lidar and the IAO SB RAS station of high-altitude lidar sensing of the atmosphere in 2011-2013 are presented in the work. The special feature of this observation period was practical absence of volcanic activity with emissions into the stratosphere, as well as in 2010. Therefore, the possibility arose of studying the monthly behavior of the vertical structure of the background aerosol in the stratosphere at nights during a three-year period.
Experimental results of polarization laser sensing of cirrus with anomalous backscattering are presented. The technique of determining the optical and geometrical characteristics of clouds is described. Experimental data are compared with the meteorological conditions at altitudes of cirrus above the lidar location and with the results of numerical modeling of phase matrices in the approximation of physical optics. The recurrence frequency of meteorological characteristics of “mirror” cirrus is estimated.
The influence of winter stratospheric warming (SW) on the special features of the vertical distribution of the temperature and air density in the middle atmosphere over Tomsk is analyzed. Sudden SWs in winters of 2009– 2010 and 2010–2011 and summer of 2010–2011 are considered with stable vertical temperature distributions. It is demonstrated that in the perturbed state caused by SWs the deviations of the temperature and air density from their average values were in antiphase. Their maximal amplitudes were observed at altitudes 35–40 km and could reach +30% for temperature and 30% for air density. Under quiet conditions in summer months, the temperature deviations were in the main corridor –6 – +8%, and the air density deviations lay in the corridor 8– 15%.
In the article the lidar observations of the winter stratosphere warming manifestations of (SW) 2011-13 over Tomsk are considered. In 2010/11 the winter warming took place in January with insignificant positive temperature deviations from the mean monthly values in its first decade and then two maxima on the 14th and 15th of January at the altitude of 30-40 km with a deviation to 45К. In 2011/12 the beginning of the SW was recorded from lidar measurements on December 26 and lasted for two decades of January. The maximum development of SW was at the end of December 2011 – the first decade of January. The biggest temperature deviations were at the 40-60К level in the height interval of 35-45 km. In 2012/13 the SW began on December 25. The phase of its maximum development fell on the 1-4th of January when the stratopause altitude dropped on 30 km and the maximum temperature deviation from the model at this level reached 70K. In contrast to the first two warming (minor), the last was referred to the major type wherein air mass circulation change happened in the upper stratosphere over Tomsk ((http://www.geo.fu-berlin.de/en/met/ag/strat/index.html).).
A differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) gas-analyzer was successfully tested. A high pressure 150-W Xe arc lamp was employed as a light source This system consisted of a coaxial telescope, a spectrometer, an analyzer and retroreflector. In order to record the spectra, a monochrometer with a grating and photodiode array was adopted. Gas analyzer spectral data bank includes more than 30 moleculas absorbed in UV spectral region. The measured absorption spectra were evaluated by using a least-squares fit to determine the average mixing ratio of each species in the atmosphere. A number of air pollutants concentrations: SO2, NO2, O3, etc were trace measured. Minimally detected concentration on pathlength 400 m is the unit of ppb at the time of accumulation of 2 min. The results of the field test measurements of pollutants in Tomsk are presented.
KEYWORDS: LIDAR, Camera shutters, Electro optics, Clouds, Near field, Near field optics, Resolution enhancement technologies, Interference (communication), Electroluminescence, Atmospheric physics
The paper reports the results of strobing the lidar signal by an electro-optical shutter (EOS). The authors discuss the possibility to reduce the backscattered signal power in the near field up to 10-12 times, to increase the probe pulse energy by an order of magnitude, and thereby to improve the signal-to-noise ratio in atmospheric sensing in the daytime.
On the basis of an analytical solution of a one-dimensional (in cylindrical coordinates) heat equation homogeneous medium with a heat source, due to the linear absorption of light, we obtained analytical expressions for the calculation of space-time profiles of the increment of temperature in heterogeneous media based on metallic nanoparticles and a dielectric matrix.
According to the model of the effective medium and G. Mie theory, attenuation cross-sections, cross-sections for scattering and absorption for metal nanoparticles nanosized aggregates have been assessed depending on the aggregate’s size , level of the aggregate’s filling with nanoparticles and physical properties of the nanoparticles material.
The task of laser sensing of droplet clouds by coaxial lidar is considered. Lidar return due to single scattering is formed in the volume bounded by the radiation pattern of the transmitter, while the double-scattering is determined by a receiving system field of view. The volume of the scattering medium exceeding a receiving system field of view forms the signal higher scattering orders ( < 2). The results of the numerical modeling of the distribution (in the recording plane) polarization characteristics of lidar signal from droplet clouds in the double scattering approximation in comparison with the results of the physical model experiment simulating sounding of a droplet cloud are discussed in this paper.
We present results of joint analysis of the data of high-level cloud sensing with a polarization lidar and satellite radiometer MODIS. The possibility of detection from space of cirrus clouds with preferred orientation of ice crystals is discussed.
In this article results of observations of upper-layer crystal clouds are analyzed. Estimates about shape and preferred orientation crystals of clouds are performed. Information on the vertical stratification of the pressure, temperature, wind direction and modulus near the observation point was considered.
The paper focuses on retrieving the microphysical characteristics of cirrus clouds from lidar data. The beam-splitting algorithm developed by the authors within framework of physical optics approximation has been used to solve the problem of light scattering by the hexagonal ice crystals. The paper presents the color ratio, depolarization ratio, and lidar ratio that have been calculated for the first time for quasi-horizontally and randomly oriented hexagonal ice particles. The lidar experimental data measuring simultaneously the depolarization ratio and color ratio in cirrus clouds are also presented.
We discuss the possibility that particles of a crystal cloud can take a preferred orientation with respect to wind direction under the
action of aerodynamic forces in the atmosphere. It is shown theoretically that the preferred orientation can be caused by wind speed
pulsations and by the forces applied to a particle falling due to gravity in the presence of wind speed gradient. The theoretical
estimate of the parameter of the function of particle orientation distribution over azimuth angles well agrees with its experimental
estimate from the backscattering phase matrices of cirrus clouds obtained from data of polarization lidar measurements.
We propose a model of distribution of angular deviation of large particles orientation in a crystal cloud from the
horizontal position of their big diameters in the process of their fall due to gravity. A single-parameter distribution of
particles over angles of orientation is obtained. The distribution parameter is shown to be dependent on the particle size
and the rate of energy dissipation in the turbulence cells. The dependence turns out to be much stronger than those in
models proposed earlier.
The particles of upper clouds are ice crystals with various sizes and shapes. Under certain conditions they can be oriented in space. This circumstance leads to the significant anisotropy of light in cirrus clouds that should be taken into account when solving problems of radiation propagation through the atmosphere.
Acquiring the information on parameters of particle orientation in ensembles of actual clouds is still an urgent and poorly studied problem. In this connection, we have developed a lidar technique for measuring the backscattering phase matrices (BSPM) that enables one to acquire such information.
Based on processing of 450 experimentally measured BSPMs we have drawn the following conclusions:
- in 90 to 95 % cases the orientation of the larger diameters of particles along the azimuth direction was observed, though in 70% of these cases the orientation was only weakly pronounced against the background of particles that had no preferred orientation in the azimuth plane. However, the backscattering coefficients for linearly polarized light can strongly depend on the orientation of the polarization plane.
- the larger diameters of particles practically always lied in the horizontal plane, and in 50% cases the degree of this orientation should be recognized essential. The latter means that the extinction coefficient of such clouds should strongly depend on the angle of radiation incidence on the cloud layer.
Separation capability of singly and multiply scattered components in a lidar receiving system based on the use of spatial filtering of lidar returns is considered. A calculation example for a return power density is shown. A procedure for determination of a multiple scattering spot parameter is described. Experimental results of sounding the clouds are presented. Various instrumental realizations of the spatial filters for the practical use in elastic scattering lidars are discussed.
It is known, lidar signal intensity due to double scattering depends on the particle size distribution of under investigation aerosol formation. The most sensitive to microstructure of sounding aerosol is lidar signal component, which is defined by diffraction component of the phase function. Analytical expressions for return scattering radiation received from aerosol cloud at different distances are analyzed in this report. Also possible methods of extraction from lidar signal sensitive to microstructure sounding aerosol component are considered. Theoretical analysis results are reported.
Several physical factors that govern the light scattering scenario in optically anisotropic media are discussed and the degree to which they may affect the date of laser sounding of crystal clouds is assessed. Among the peculiarities of light propagation and scattering in such media there are: 1) possible changes in the state of polarization of a sounding beam; 2) the transformations of the polarization state and extinction of sounding radiation may depend on the direction of sounding; 3) the data of laser sounding regarding the backscatter and lidar depolarization may be ambiguous. The matter is that in an anisotropic medium these properties of the backscattered radiation depend on the polarization state of a sounding beam and on the orientation of the lidar. As the calculated and experimental data presented in this paper show, the change of the sounding beam polarization state during the propagation in cirrus clouds may be neglected in the majority of practical cases. At the same time, the dependence of the radiation extinction on the direction of sounding, as well as the ambiguity in sounding data mentioned above should certainly be taken into account.
A polarization backscattering phase matrix for oriented semitransparent plates is given in the present paper. The matrix elements have been numerically investigated. Regular dependences have been established of the matrix elements on the orientation angle of particles with respect to the sensing direction, the orientation angle of the polarization plane, and the refractive index of particles. An algorithm has been developed for determining the refractive index and the orientation angle of ice plates from the data of polarization lidar sensing for two-angle sensing geometry. A formula has been derived that relates the main parameters of the medium with the backscattering coefficient that can be used for interpretation of highly intense lidar return signal.
Backscattering phase matrices (BPM) have been measured by a polarization lidar with controllable polarization of output laser radiation for measuring all the Stokes parameters at (lambda) equals 532 nm. The degree of orientation and the preferred orientation of particles are determined. To this end, the properties of BPM for the model of axisymmetric prolate particel (APP) ensemble are used. It has been suggested that scattering anisotropy of an aeosol layer, whose BPM is not described by the APP model, is caused by birefringence. In laser sensing of the atmosphere ensembles of aerosol particles being sounded are characterized by the backscattering coefficient. Very often, in addition to this parameter, the intensities of polarized and crosspolarized components of backscattered radiation are determined provided that lineraly polarized laser radiation is used. The ratio of these components is called depolarization and it is assumed a measure of the particle nonsphericity. Use of the above characteristics is based on the concept that atmospheric aerosols are ensembles of spherical or nonspherical randomly oriented particles. An experience of optical studies has shown that such a concept is quite justifiable for the majority of atmospheric aerosols. However, these exists quite a wide class of natural aerosols in the atmosphere, namely, the crystalline clouds, for which the lidar equation in scalar form is insufficient since such aerosol ensembles should be described with a backscattering phase matrix. Below we shall demonstrate this by an example. Of course, the necessity of using the BPM to describe such aerosols is, in certain sense, obvious because anomalous optical phenomena resulting from a pronounced anisotropy of light scattering by crystal clouds have been known long ago. Nevertheless, such phenomena are too rare and it is not a proiri clear how often essential deviations from the scalar approximation occur. Thus, the experimental material available for our analysis at present and partially described in references allow us to arrive at the conclusions that in 30-40 percent lidar observations of crystalline clouds either the backscattering coefficient depends on the direction of sounding radiation polarization or the polarization of scattered light becomes elliptical, or both these effects occur simultaneously.
An attempt to interpret backscattering phase matrices of cirrus clouds measured with a ground-based lidar is undertaken in this paper based on a theoretical model of interaction between optical radiation and an ensemble of flaked crystals. Deviations of the diagonal elements from unity indicated that partides orientation differed from the horizontal one and the crystals had a prefered orientation at some angle with respect to the direction of sounding.
Keywords: backscattering phase matrices, cirrus douds, lidar
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