Near-surface wind fields play an important role in applications such as low-altitude economy, wind energy optimisation, and aviation safety. However, traditional Doppler wind lidar systems rely on complex frequency-shift detection and precise optical alignment, limiting their broader applications in real-world scenarios.

In a study published in Optics Express, a research team led by Prof. ZHANG Tianshu from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences developed a compact laser system for non-Doppler wind lidar applications, offering a low-cost and highly deployable solution for near-surface wind field sensing.

Researchers designed a compact Nd:YAG master oscillator power amplifier laser pumped by dual single-emitter diodes. This design separates the pumping for oscillator and amplifier stages. Besides, the laser system combines a two-stage temperature control scheme with a double-pass amplification configuration, improving thermal stability and energy efficiency while keeping the system compact.

The laser system operated stably at a repetition rate of 3.96 kHz, generating nanosecond pulses with microjoule-level energy and excellent beam quality. Its output remained highly stable across an ambient temperature range of 30-50°C, with power fluctuations controlled within ±3% and beam pointing drift below 50 μrad.

When integrated into a scanning-free, multi-beam non-Doppler lidar system, the compact laser system supported continuous 24-hour measurements of near-surface wind profiles. Field experiments demonstrated that the results were consistent with in-situ meteorological observations in both wind speed and direction.

With a total weight of only 400 grams, this laser system is suitable for the deployment on mobile platforms such as medium-sized unmanned aerial vehicles. This study demonstrates a practical approach to improving the accessibility and flexibility of wind lidar measurements in real-world environments.