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The Wave Propagation Laboratory of the Environmental Research Laboratories of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has been engaged in the development of dual-wavelength, optical distance-measuring instruments. Recently a new generation of this type of high-accuracy instrument has been completed. Preliminary testing of the new instrument indicates that the original goal of the project, accuracy of better than one part in a million over distances of 5-10 km using averaging times of less than 1 min, is being met. This paper describes the instrument and preliminary test results.

Four possible optical configurations for optical distance-measuring instruments using electrooptical polarization modulators are discussed. Criteria are developed for a meaningful comparison of the four systems. A summary of the compared characteristics of the systems is given in tabular form, and the comparative merits of each system are reviewed.