Micropulse Lidar: polarization of atmosphere - mplps

The micropulse lidar (MPL) is a ground-based, optical, remote-sensing system designed primarily to determine the altitude of clouds; however, it is also used for detection of atmospheric aerosols. The physical principle is the same as for radar. Pulses of energy are transmitted into the atmosphere; the energy scattered back to the transceiver is collected and measured as a time-resolved signal, thereby detecting clouds and aerosols in real time. \n \nFrom the time delay between each outgoing pulse and the backscattered signal, the distance to the scatterer is inferred. Post-processing of the lidar return characterizes the extent and properties of aerosols or other particles in a region.

微脉冲激光雷达（micropulse lidar，MPL）是一种地基光学遥感系统，其主要设计目标为测定云高，同时亦可用于大气气溶胶的探测。其物理原理与雷达完全一致：将能量脉冲发射至大气中，收集散射回收发机的能量并将其作为时间分辨信号进行测量，由此可实时探测云层与气溶胶。

通过各发射脉冲与后向散射信号之间的时间延迟，可推算出散射源与系统的距离。对激光雷达回波信号进行后处理，即可表征研究区域内气溶胶或其他颗粒物的分布范围与物理特性。