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A 2 [micro]m wavelength, 90 mJ, 5 Hz pulsed Ho laser is described with wavelength control to precisely tune and lock the wavelength at a desired offset up to 2.9 GHz from the center of a C[O.sub.2] absorption line. Once detuned from the line center the laser wavelength is actively locked to keep the wavelength within 1.9 MHz standard deviation about the setpoint. This wavelength control allows optimization of the optical depth for a differential absorption lidar (DIAL) measuring atmospheric C[O.sub.2] concentrations. The laser transmitter has been coupled with a coherent heterodyne receiver for measurements of C[O.sub.2] concentration using aerosol backscatter; wind and aerosols are also measured with the same lidar and provide useful additional information on atmospheric structure. Range-resolved C[O.sub.2] measurements were made with < 2.4% standard deviation using 500 m range bins and 6.7 min (1000 pulse pairs) integration time. Measurement of a horizontal column showed a precision of the C[O.sub.2] concentration to < 0.7% standard deviation using a 30 min (4500 pulse pairs) integration time, and comparison with a collocated in situ sensor showed the DIAL to measure the same trend of a diurnal variation and to detect shorter time scale C[O.sub.2] perturbations. For vertical column measurements the lidar was setup at the WLEF tall tower site in Wisconsin to provide meteorological profiles and to compare the DIAL measurements with the in situ sensors distributed on the tower up to 396 m height. Assuming the DIAL column measurement extending from 153 m altitude to 1353 m altitude should agree with the tower in situ sensor at 396 m altitude, there was a 7.9 ppm rms difference between the DIAL and the in situ sensor using a 30 min rolling average on the DIAL measurement. OCIS codes: 280.1910, 140.0140, 280.0280, 010.3640, 010.3920, 010.7030.

A differential absorption lidar has been built to measure C[O.sub.2] concentration in the atmosphere. The transmitter is a pulsed single-frequency Ho:Tm:YLF laser at a 2.05-[micro]m wavelength. A coherent heterodyne receiver was used to achieve sensitive detection, with the additional capability for wind profiling by a Doppler technique. Signal processing includes an algorithm for power measurement of a heterodyne signal. Results show a precision of the C[O.sub.2] concentration measurement of 1%-2% 1[sigma] standard deviation over column lengths ranging from 1.2 to 2.8 km by an average of 1000 pulse pairs. A preliminary assessment of instrument sensitivity was made with an 8-h-long measurement set, along with correlative measurements with an in situ sensor, to determine that a C[O.sub.2] trend could be detected. OCIS codes: 280.0280, 280.1910, 140.0140, 140.3580.

We demonstrate wavelength control of a single-frequency diode-pumped Ho:Tm:YLF laser by referencing its wavelength to an absorption line of carbon dioxide. We accomplish this wavelength control by injection seeding with a cw Ho:Tm:YLF laser that can be tuned over or stabilized to carbon dioxide or water vapor lines. We show that the pulsed laser can be scanned precisely over an absorption line of carbon dioxide by scanning the injection seed laser wavelength. We locked the pulsed laser to within 18.5 MHz of the absorption line center by stabilizing the injection seed on the line center. The single-frequency pulsed output, intended for use as a transmitter for differential absorption lidar detection of atmospheric carbon dioxide and water vapor and for coherent detection of wind, is 100 mJ per pulse at a 5-Hz repetition rate. OCIS codes: 140.3580, 280.3640, 280.1910.