Influence of airborne LiDAR wavelength on the detection distance of clear air turbulence

Abstract

We comprehensively investigated the influence of laser wavelength on the detection distance at different clear air turbulence (CAT) intensities, distance resolutions, and Brunt–Väisälä frequency theoretically. It is found that there exists the optimal wavelength for maximal detection distance. When the distance resolution is fixed, the detection distance of 532 nm LiDAR is further compared with the 355 and 1064 nm counterparts and is more suitable under moderate to severe CAT. Our findings break the traditional cognition that “ultraviolet wavelength LiDAR is the most suitable for CAT detection” and may promote the remote detection research of CAT.