: Lidar systems for remote sensing of physical and chemical atmospheric properties

Characterizing physical and chemical properties of the atmosphere is of paramount importance for many research missions at ONERA, especially for Defense, Aeronautics, Space, and Environnment studies. The LIDAR technique (Light Detection and Ranging) offers remarkable potential for that purpose. This remote sensing technique is similar to RADAR, but it is based on laser emiters in the optical frequency domain. It can therefore interact with very small objects, such as gas molecules and atmospheric aerosols. Capturing the faint signal backscattered by those tracers, it is possible to measure many physical and chemical atmospheric properties, such as wind speed, temperature, density, as well as the nature and concentration of gas species and aerosols.In this document, I present research activities that I have conducted on atmospheric Lidar systems at ONERA's Optics Departement (DOTA), since 2004. The document focuses on three major sientific domains ( atmospheric optics, optronic technologies, signal processing), and showcases several results obtained during my research, especially concerning wind speed and chemical species remote sensing (CH4, CO2, H2…).La caractérisation des propriétés physico-chimiques de l’atmosphère est une nécessité pour bon nombre des missions de recherches de l’ONERA, dans les domaines de la Défense, de l’Aéronautique, de l’Espace, et de l’Environnement. Pour cela, la technique LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) dispose d’un potentiel remarquable. Il s’agit d’une technique de télédétection analogue au RADAR, mais adaptée au domaine optique, et donc basée sur une émission laser. La longueur d’onde émise étant très petite (