Imaging Airborne Laser

Fig. 4. 12-channel imaging airborne laser fluorosensor signature of spilled crude oil (all data rectified). The channel 2 (344 nanometres) shows the suppression of the laser-induced water Raman backscatter signal through the strongly absorbing oil film. This information can be used for thickness estimation... 

Looking at the present state of marine pollution remote sensing it was outlined that basic and advanced sensors are available for an effective airborne surveillance. While the basic sensors (SLAR, IR/UV) are currently installed in nearly every platform, the advanced sensors (LFS, MWR) are only present at a few, dedicated aircraft. However this is likely to change, since several nations are at the step of defining new sensor systems in the next years. Within these system upgrades, FLIR thermal imagers with a laser illuminator will be prominent, since they offer... 

The scattered light is imaged onto a detector, where it is superimposed with part of the laser beam. The detector output contains the difference-frequency spectrum Ao) = cjoi — (i> = ( l + s) v, which is electronically monitored with a heterodyne technique. One example is an airborne CO2 laser anemometer that was developed for measuring wind velocities in the stratosphere in order to improve long-term weather forecasts [15.124]. Further examples are measurements of the velocity profiles in the exhaust of turbine engines of planes, in pipelines for gases and liquids, or even in the arteries of the human body. 

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