On an ESFADOF edge-filter for a range resolved Brillouin-lidar: The high vapor density and high pump intensity regime

The temperature profile in the upper ocean mixed layer is of great interest for oceanography, weather forecast and climate studies—especially regarding the strong coupling between the atmosphere and the ocean. A lidar system based on Brillouin-scattering can provide such data over an extended region of the ocean. In this paper we report on studies of an excited-state Faraday anomalous dispersion optical (ESFADOF) edge-filter that, when employed as a receiver in a Brillouin-lidar, will enable range-resolved remote measurements from mobile platforms. We focus on the transmission of such a filter operating on the 5P _3/2→8D _5/2 Rb transition (543.30 nm), and its dependence on the vapor density in the high pump intensity regime. Due to quenching processes such as energy-pooling enhanced by nonlinear radiation trapping, as well as plasma formation, a limit on the lower ESFADOF level number density exists. Beyond this threshold the achievable ESFADOF transmission is limited to a few percent. However, our studies show for the first time measured ESFADOF spectra with steep transmission edges with a transmission change of 15% within a few gigahertz.