RAPID: REAL Security and Safety

拉曼位移人眼安全气溶胶激光雷达（真实的）观测平台，现在位于奇科的加州州立大学，最初是在NSF和NCAR（国家大气研究中心）的支持下设计和组装的。 它支持由首席研究员领导的低大气层研究和大学教学相结合。 真实的的工作波长为1.54微米，能够绘制城市污染物和自然产生的灰尘/气溶胶的分布图。 通过跟踪气溶胶特征的运动，真实的提供了邻近地球表面的空气运动的高分辨率说明，而返回信号的后向散射去极化提供了所遇到的粒子形状的信息。 这一RAPID类型的合同将及时支持用于准确有效地引导激光雷达能量的高精度反射镜的翻新，并恢复真实的光束控制单元的全部功能。 站点安全的相关升级将确保校外CSU-Chico研究农场位置的系统可靠运行。 小型便携式起重机的内部设计和制造将允许从真实的收发器和相关仪器所在的集装箱顶部安全可靠地移除和更换高架波束转向单元。这项工作的智力价值在于恢复和维持真实的收集高质量观测的能力，这一努力的更广泛影响将包括为参与真实的运营的学生和工作人员提供更高的安全性，并继续为定于2011年初举行的现场教育活动提供支持。

The Raman-shifted Eye-safe Aerosol Lidar (REAL) observing platform, now based at the California State University at Chico, was originally designed and assembled with support from NSF and NCAR (the National Center for Atmospheric Research). It supports a combination of lower-atmospheric research and university-based instruction led by the Principal Investigator. REAL operates at a wavelength 1.54 microns, and is capable of mapping distributions of urban pollutants and naturally occurring dusts/aerosols. By tracking the movement of aerosol features, REAL provides high-resolution depictions of air motions adjacent to the earth's surface, while backscatter depolarization of returned signals provides information on the shape of encountered particles. This RAPID-type award will promptly support required refurbishment of high-precision mirrors used to accurately and efficiently direct lidar energy, and restore full functionality to REAL's beam steering unit. Associated upgrades to site security will ensure reliable operation of the system at an off-campus CSU-Chico research farm location. In-house design and fabrication of a small and portable crane will allow safe and reliable removal and replacement of the elevated beam steering unit from atop the shipping container in which REAL's transceiver and associated instrumentation reside.The Intellectual Merit of this work rests in restoring and maintaining the ability of the REAL to collect high-quality observations, and adequate protection of the platform for future use.Broader Impacts of this effort will include increased safety for students and staff involved in REAL's operation, and its continued availability for support of on-site educational activities scheduled for early 2011.