Investigation of Lamp Mapping Technique for Calibration and Diagnostics of Raman LIDAR Systems

Raman Lidar systems provide water vapor measurements that can be used for weather forecasting and atmospheric modeling. Most of the accuracy of Raman Lidar water vapor data is dependent on a secondary instrument such as the radiosonde. Here we discuss the use of the standard lamp mapping technique as it applies to Raman Lidar data. Using the standard lamp mapping technique causes the Raman Lidar water vapor data to rely on the accuracy of the fundamental Raman cross sections and the accuracy of the detection system. To be more specific we discuss how the lamp mapping technique (LMT) is used to determine a Raman Lidar water vapor mixing ratio calibration constant, correct a look-up table that could potentially be used to determine atmospheric temperatures based on Lidar measurements, determine a Lidar overlap function, determine Lidar glue coefficients and serve as a Raman Lidar diagnostic test. The mapping technique discussed here is a standard lamp being scanned over the aperture of a Raman Lidar telescope. From the mapping technique we are able to determine a system efficiency for the Lidar detection system, which allows us to perform the functions mentioned above. These various studies were conducted on two Raman Lidar systems with different optical detection systems and configurations. The water vapor mixing ratio calibration determined using the LMT and glue coefficients determined using the LMT showed good agreement with the traditional methods. In addition the LMT has shown to be an excellent diagnostic tool for Lidar systems. Furthermore, we were able to determine an overlap function for the Lidar system single optical channels and also the overlap function for water vapor mixing ratio (WVMR) using the LMT. Lastly, there was a limitation that did not allow us to obtain temperature calibration constants for Lidar-based temperature measurements using a look-up table corrected by the LMT. However, we were able to determine the detector response of the two channels used for the Lidar temperature measurements. In summary this dissertation validates the use of the LMT for WVMR calibration for various Raman Lidar system. Also, this dissertation introduces the application of the LMT for successfully determining an overlap correction, determining glue coefficients and diagnosing Lidar channel characteristics.