A RAPIDLY-TUNABLE ACOUSTO-OPTIC SPECTROMETER FOR A SPACE ENVIRONMENT

As a complement to our work developing rapidly-tunable ({approximately}10-100 kHz) CO{sub 2} lasers for differential absorption lidar (DIAL) applications,l we have developed a rapidly-tunable spectrometer. A rapid spectral diagnostic is critical for a high speed DIAL system, since analysis of the return signals depends on knowing the spectral purity of the transmitted beam. The spectrometer developed for our lidar system is based on a double-passed large- (75 mm) aperture acousto-optic deflector, a grating, and a fast single-element room temperature mercury-cadmium-telluride detector. The spectrometer has a resolution of {approximately}0.5 cm{sup {minus}1}, a tuning range of 9.0-11.4 pm, a random-access tuning speed of greater than 80 kHz and a S/N ratio of greater than 100:1. We describe the design and performance of this device, as well as of future devices featuring improved resolution, higher speed and easier and more robust alignment. We will also briefly discuss the applications and limitations of the technique in a space environment