Abstract
The laser pulse shapes of many current commercial systems are Gaussian due to Q-switch leakage and the exponential buildup of energy in tine laser cavity. This extended leading edge of the pulse leads to errors and to difficulty in processing laser altimetry and ranging returns.1 Variabilities in the return pulse shape and pulse spreading produce a " range walk’ error that is usually removed with post-processing. Correction for "range walk" in a standard Q-switched laser altimeter system requires a complex calibration data set to compensate for varying return pulse intensities and pulse widths. A timing error occurs when the output pulse width extends for tens of nanoseconds or more, which is common with Q-switched lasers. Therefore, a "sharp" laser pulse with no preceding Gaussian build-up is very desirable for simplifying altimetrie data acquisition.
© 1993 Optical Society of America
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