Observations of the Horizontally Oriented Crystalline Particles with a Scanning Polarization Lidar.

Scanning lidar LOSA-M3 makes it possible to measure the polarization characteristics of backscattering signals from aerosol and clouds at wavelength 532 and 1064 nm. The lidar transceiver is placed on a scanning column, which allows changing the direction of sounding within the upper hemisphere at a speed of 1 degree per second. The polarization characteristics of the transmitter (linear or circular polarization) can be changed by rotating the phase plates synchronously with the laser pulses. Conical scanning of the lidar allows identifying cloud areas with preferential zenith or azimuthal orientation of the crystal particles. The article presents the results of observations of the cloud polarization structure carried out in Tomsk. Methods of the calibrations of lidar polarization channels are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]