William (Gabe) Vivas
I joined the lidar group in May of 2012 and support mechanical engineering aspects of the REAL. My first project was to rearrange optical components of the lidar transmitter in a way that results in improved polarization purity of the transmitted beam over to the launch mirror. The design will enable better polarization measurements of atmospheric aerosols. Bruce Morley from NCAR implemented the new arrangement in January of 2013. I also designed and fabricated an enclosure for the transmitter to keep out dust and make access to optical components easier. Finally, I also designed and fabricated a swing arm to support a lateral transfer hollow retroreflector (LTHR) above the launch mirror. This will faciliate faster alginment of the transmit beam with the receiver field of view. All of these projects will lead to improved reliability and performance of the REAL.
