Mach-Zehnder interferometer as a spectral analyzer for molecular Doppler wind lidar

The theoretical performance of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer used as a spectral analyzer for wind-speed measurement by direct-detection Doppler lidar is presented. The interferometer is optimized for measurement of wind velocity from the signal backscattered by the molecules. Two arrangements are proposed, involving two detection channels (DMZ) or four detection channels (QMZ). Using the assumption of a pure molecular signal with a Gaussian spectral profile, we derive an analytic expression for the standard deviation of the measurement error for each arrangement. They are then compared with the ideal spectral analyzer (ISA) and with the double-edge Fabry-Perot (DFP) in the case of a shot-noise-limited signal. The DMZ measurement error is shown to be only 1.65 times that of the ISA and is 1.4 times lower than that given by the DFP. The QMZ arrangement provides a measurement that is insensitive to the aerosol scattering contribution but gives a measurement error that is 1.4 times higher than that of the DMZ. © 2001 Optical Society of America.