Atmospheric transmission of CO2 laser radiation with application to laser Doppler systems

The molecular absorption coefficients of carbon dioxide, water vapor, and nitrous oxide are calculated at the P16, P18, P20, P22, and P24 lines of the CO2 laser for temperatures from 200 to 300 K and for pressures from 100 to 1100 mb. The temperature variation of the continuum absorption coefficient of water vapor is taken into account semi-empirically from Burch's data. The total absorption coefficient from the present calculations falls within + or - 20 percent of the results of McClatchey and Selby. The transmission loss which the CO2 pulsed laser Doppler system experiences was calculated for flight test conditions for the five P-lines. The total transmission loss is approximately 7 percent higher at the P16 line and 10 percent lower at the P24 line compared to the P20 line. Comparison of the CO2 laser with HF and DF laser transmission reveals the P2(8) line at 3.8 micrometers of the DF laser is much better from the transmission point of view for altitudes below 10 km.