DECONVOLUTION TECHNIQUES FOR IMPROVING THE RESOLUTION OF LONG-PULSE LIDARS

Deconvolution techniques are developed for improving lidar resolution when the sampling intervals are shorter than the sensing laser pulse. Such approaches permit the maximum-resolved lidar return in the case of arbitrary-shaped long laser pulses such as those used in CO2 lidars. The general algorithms are based on the Fourier-deconvolution technique as well as on the solution of the first kind of Volterra integral equation. In the case of rectangular pulses a simple and convenient recurrence algorithm is proposed and is analyzed in detail. The effect of stationary additive noise on algorithm performance is investigated. The theoretical analysis is supported by computer simulations demonstrating the increased resolution of the retrieved lidar profiles.