Wind speed determination from a UV direct detection fringe imaging DWL prototype

The determination of the wind speed from direct detection Doppler Wind Lidar instruments is a crucial part within their development and operation. Our previously developed AEROLT system uses a fringe imaging, field widened Michelson interferometer as its spectral analyzer. To derive the wind speed information from the obtained measurand/raw data, a complex process of different operations (including multiple corrections and fitting operations) is necessary. Tn this work, we describe this process in detail, focusing on the influence of the distinct steps on the final outcome (wind speed dispersion, bias, correlation with reference DWL), including an investigation of the most promising steps for optimization. Further, a noise-floor method for the classification of the measurement quality without the need of a wind-speed reference (as DWL or anemometer) was applied to data from this UV direct detection DWL for the first time.