The Receiving System of a Dual Dye Lidar to Study Molecular and Aerosol Densities at the Base of the Stratosphere

The measurement of atmospheric constituents and their motion plays an integral part in the understanding of the Earth-Biosphere interaction. This circumstance has resulted in rapid growth within the field of remote sensing. Remote sensing systems may passively collect electromagnetic or acoustic waves transmitted from a distant point, or they may illuminate a volume of the atmosphere with radiation and observe the back scattered signal. These instruments operate over the entire spectrum from gamma waves to extremely low frequency radio waves. This thesis is concerned with the design and the construction of the optical receiver of a remote sensing instrument called a LIDAR, for light detection and ranging. The operating principles and design of an optical receiver for a Light Detection and Ranging LIDAR remote sensing instrument are addressed. The performance and limitations of a biaxial monostatic LIDAR system utilizing this design are investigated. The complete optical and structural design of the receiver, including specifications of components are outlined. The thermal stabilization of the detector assembly and the integration of control electronics are described. A detailed discussion of alignment procedures and possible improvements are made. A sample observation is presented with suggestions for fully automating the system.