An incoherent CO₂ laser radar, or lidar, system using a tunable CO₂ TEA laser has been developed, along with analytical techniques to permit the determination of atmospheric transmittance and aerosol backscatter from multi-angle lidar returns. This work has been motivated by the need for a more complete knowledge of the optical properties of the atmosphere in the 9 to 11 μm spectral region. Results of preliminary observations are discussed. CO₂ lidar systems have been used before to measure backscatter and transmittance. Here, a new analytic method is developed, applicable to the 8-12 μm window region in conditions of high visibility, when the aerosol component of extinction is negligible compared to the molecular component. In such cases the backscatter sensed by the system is due to the atmospheric aerosol while atmospheric transmittance is determined by molecular species such as carbon dioxide and water vapor. It is not possible to assume a functional relationship between backscatter and extinction, as required by many previous analytic techniques. Therefore, a new solution technique based on a weighted, non-linear least squares fit applied to multi-zenith angle lidar returns has been developed. It is shown how constraints may be applied to rule out solutions which are unlikely on a priori grounds. An error analysis and a discussion of proper weighting techniques are presented. A CO₂ lidar system capable of acquiring multi-angle returns was developed, which included a gain-switching amplifier to compress the dynamic range of the return signal. The entire system is operated under computer control and data acquisition and storage are fully automated. A laser pulse energy monitor allows sequential returns to be averaged to reduce signal fluctuations. Preliminary observations with the system have demonstrated the capability of acquiring and averaging hundreds of returns on a routine basis. The return signal was observed to have fluctuations of 20 to 50% from shot to shot, due to atmospheric fluctuations. This result indicates signal averaging will be necessary to reduce signal fluctuations to levels where the multi-angle solution method may be applied.

The factors involved in calculating Standard Visual Range (SVR) are discussed, and a comparison is made between the visibility reported by airport observers and the photographic slide/ optical densitometer method of calculating SVR. Using slides of Houston, Texas, from the fall and winter of 1988-89, it was found that the altitude at which the contrast measurements are made significantly affects the SVR. Also an index for predicting high and low humidity was developed using the blue/red ratio of the log exposure of the sky, and sun/shade target condition.

A probability density function is developed for the phase of light that is the result of adding a signal to noise with K-distributed amplitude and uniform phase. The probability density function of the phase associated with the I-K distribution is also developed. In the process of deriving the probability density function of the phase much I as learned about the relationships between different probability density functions. Three different methods of deriving homodyned K statistics are shown to be equivalent. Two different methods of deriving I-K statistics are shown to be equivalent. Theoretical moments of the homodyned K distribution are compared with experimentally measured moments in order to determine the parameters of the model for different conditions of turbulence. An experiment is proposed for measuring the spatial structure function of the phase in a manner that will allow verifying the accuracy of the new probability density functions of the phase.