title: Beam characteristics of a lidar system.
abstract: The variations in four-beam characteristics of a high repetition rate, giant pulse, ruby laser Lidar system were investigated as functions of five controllable laser parameters. The beam characteristics investigated were divergence, intensity distribution, directivity, and consistency of output energy. The variations in the laser beam characteristics were monitored as functions of ruby rod temperature, ruby rod quality, pumping repetition rate, cavity loss, and pumping energy. The resulting requirements on the pumping repetition rate in order to obtain minimums in laser beam divergence and deviation in the laser output energy were mutually exclusive. The results indicate that a laser oscillator-amplifier system with automatically controllable cavity mirrors would give more consistency in output energy and intensity distribution than lasers presently used in Lidar systems.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Landry