Lidar measurement of clouds profile with a Superconducting Nanowire Single Photon Detector

Abstract

In this work the results of two Lidar measurements in the infrared range with a Superconducting Nanowire Single Photon Detector (SNSPD) are presented. In the first measurement, performed at the wavelength of 1550 nm, we determined the distance of two hard targets. This result was used to calibrate the experimental setup and to test the readout electronics. Then, we combined the SNSPD with the Lidar setup MALIA (Multiwavelength Lidar Apparatus) to measure the atmospheric aerosol profile at 1064 nm during a cloudy day. For the last measurement the backscattering coefficient was also calculated.