Wind profiling from high troposphere to low stratosphere using a scanning Rayleigh Doppler lidar

A scanning mobile Rayleigh Doppler lidar based on the molecular double-edge technique is developed for wind measurement from high troposphere to low stratosphere in 5–35 km. To get higher optical efficiency and make the system more stable, a non-polarized beam splitter cube optically contacted to the FPI is used. This layout also provides a convenient method for null Doppler calibration. The laser frequency drift is measured by a wavelength meter and laser frequency locking is performed and an accuracy of ± 0.5 m/s are obtained in 10 h. Horizontal wind velocity and direction retrieval is described for a detecting method of scanning in four directions. To validate the performance of the lidar, comparison experiments were carried out in in Jiuquan (39.741°N, 98.495°E), Gansu province, northwest of China, from 16th October to 12th November 2015, which showed good agreement with radiosonde.