PROGRESS IN DYE AND EXCIMER LASER SOURCES FOR REMOTE SENSING.

Tunable radiation of high average power and narrow bandwidth is discussed, which can be obtained at any wavelength in the visible and ultraviolet region from approx. 800 nm to approx. 193 nm. Depending on the specific requirements of the measurements, different techniques can be used for optimum performance in either region. With the enhanced output of excimer lasers, the output characteristics of the dye and modified excimer lasers, and in particular the energy and average power, are expected to improve substantially, greatly facilitating a wide range of LIDAR measurements. In addition, the new higher range of intensities that are now possible with picosecond systems may open up further techniques, such as observation of nonlinear processes, for remote sensing.