An Innovative Raster-Mirror Optical Detection System for CCD Camera Bistatic Lidar

An innovative optical system with 500X higher ¿tendu and spatial resolution will be designed for CCD-based bistatic lidar. A 100¿ vertical field of view is required to image the laser beam from the ground through the boundary layer, but only a few degrees are required in the horizontal direction. The proposed design is based on dividing the vertical field of view into N sectors, using 1D rastering of flat mirrors, and parallel imaging of laser scattered light from each sector onto one CCD-matrix utilizing a single objective with narrow angle of view. By employing an off-the-shelf, off-axis, parabolic mirror as an objective, chromatic aberration can be eliminated, i.e., this system can be used in a broad spectral area from IR to UV. Phase I will consist of modeling, design, and proof-of-concept breadboard experiments.