In addition to NASA's use in various lidar systems, the combination of a compact, low cost, single wavelength laser, together with PLC technology will find use in fiber and free-space communications where rapid, moderate power phase modulation is required. This technology can also be applied for systems used for environmental and pollution monitoring and in stabilizing laser sources used for precision metrology. The primary customer is NASA Langley's High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) program for aerosol and cloud characterization. This system is being considered for the ACE lidar by NASA's ACE Science Working Group because of the higher information content it provides over backscatter lidar on key aerosol optical and microphysical properties. The proposed technology will find multiple uses in other NASA lidar remote sensing programs, such in altimetry and DIAL lidar where compact, low cost, stabilized single lasers are required, and also has potential application in spectroscopic measurement techniques.
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