Lidar measurements of the wind velocity by spatial filtering

A description is given of a method for measuring the velocity of wind by spatial filtering of a signal representing laser radiation backscattered from atmospheric aerosols. The measurement reduces to the determination of the average frequency of the spectrum of a quasiharmonic random process. The statistical properties of the scattering zone and their manifestation in the raster plane are considered. An He–Ne laser lidar is described and the results are given of measurements of the stream velocity in a wind tunnel and of the wind velocity in the free atmosphere. The results of remote laser measurements are in agreement with the data obtained simultaneously by other methods.