Multi-heterodyne differential absorption lidar based on dual-comb spectroscopy for simultaneous greenhouse gas and wind speed measurements

^(a) ONERA/DOTA, Université Paris Saclay, F-91123 Palaiseau, France
^(b) ONERA/DOTA, Université de Toulouse, F-31055 Toulouse France This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published online: 9 April 2026

Abstract

In a recent study [1], we demonstrated a multi-heterodyne differential absorption lidar (DIAL) for greenhouse gas monitoring utilizing solid targets. The multi-frequency absorption measurement was achieved using electro-optic dual-comb spectroscopy (DCS) with a minimal number of comb teeth to maximize the optical power per tooth. In this work, we examine the lidar's working principle and architecture. Additionally, we present measurements of atmospheric CO2 at 1572 nm over a 1.4 km optical path conducted in summer 2023. Furthermore, we show that, due to the high power per comb tooth, multi-frequency Doppler wind speed measurements can be performed using the DCS signal from aerosol backscattering. This enables simultaneous radial wind speed and path-average gas concentration measurements, offering promising prospects for novel concepts of tunable multi-frequency lidar systems capable of simultaneously monitoring wind speed and gas concentrations.