Observations of Metallic Layers in the Earth’s Upper Atmosphere Based on Resonance-Scattering Lidars

Abstract

Metallic layers, containing such elements as Na, K, Li, Ca, and Fe, originating from meteors are valuable tracers for performing observations of the Earth’s upper atmosphere. The present paper provides a brief review of resonance-scattering lidars, which use laser remote-sensing technology to detect the metals occurring in these layers. In particular, two resonance-scattering lidars are introduced. The first is a highly-stable Na resonance-scattering lidar, which is easily handled even by novices. The other is a frequency- tunable resonance-scattering lidar, that enables observations of three different metallic species: K, Fe, and Ca+. The recent studies using these lidars are described.