title: Lidar-radar velocimetry using a pulse-to-pulse coherent rf-modulated Q-switched laser.
abstract: An rf-modulated pulse train from a passively Q-switched Nd:YAG laser has been generated using an extra-cavity acousto-optic modulator. The rf modulation reproduces the spectral quality of the local oscillator. It leads to a high pulse-to-pulse phase coherence, i.e., phase memory, over thousands of pulses. The potentialities of this transmitter for lidar-radar are demonstrated by performing Doppler velocimetry on indoor moving targets. The experimental results are in good agreement with a model based on elementary signal processing theory. In particular, we show experimentally and theoretically that lidar-radar is a promising technique that allows discrimination between translation and rotation movements. Being independent of the laser internal dynamics, this scheme can be applied to any Q-switched laser.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Physique de Rennes, Université de Rennes 1-CNRS UMR 6251, Campus de Beaulieu, Rennes, France. marc.vallet@univ-rennes1.fr
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vallet
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Barreaux
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Romanelli
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pillet
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Thévenin
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brunel