Intensity-modulated, stepped frequency cw lidar for distributed aerosol and hard target measurements.

A compact frequency-modulated, continuous wave (FM-cw) lidar system for measurement of distributed aerosol plumes and hard targets is presented. The system is based on intensity modulation of a laser diode and quadrature detection of the return signals. The advantages of using laser diode amplitude modulation and quadrature detection is a large reduction in the hardware required for processing and storing return signals as well as the availability of off-the-shelf integrated electronic components from the wireless and telecommunication communities.