Sodium resonance fluorescence lidar for the measurements of mesopause region temperature and wind over Hainan, China
(109 °E,19.5 °N)

CAS Key Laboratory of Geospace Environment, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China

Published online: 9 April 2026

Abstract

Recently, we report a sodium resonance fluorescence lidar developed by the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in Hainan, China (109 °N, 19.5 °E). The lidar system in addition to high temporal and vertical resolutions at 10s and 61m, also a high system efficiency, high stability and mobility. Compared with the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) narrowband sodium lidar, the sodium resonance fluorescence lidar was deployed with a number of technical improvements; which include an all-solid-state fiber continuous-wave (CW) laser, frequency locking performed by modulation transfer spectroscopy. Meanwhile, the lidar system was built in a mobile shelter. With the averaged power of∼ 1.5 W output from PDA and the receiving telescope diameter of 1 m, our lidar system has a power aperture product of∼ 1.18 Wm² and is better than the CSU and the University of Science and Technology of China at Hefei sodium lidar systems. The sodium resonance fluorescence lidar has been operated regularly during the night since July 2023. The initial lidar data express that the uncertainties of temperature and wind with a 2 km vertical and 30 min temporal resolution are estimated to be ∼ 1.2 K and ∼ 2.0 m∕ s, respectively, at the sodium peak (e.g., 92 km), and 5 K and 10 m∕ s, respectively, at both sodium layer edges (e.g., 81 km and 105 km). The sodium resonance fluorescence lidar observations generally accord with satellite observations as well as model simulations at similar latitude.