Joe She

Laser Techniques for Atmospheric Measurements

The research interests of Professor She have been broad and often interdisciplinary. He has developed new laser measurement techniques for solving basic as well as applied problems. These included photon-burst fluorescence spectroscopy for single atom detection, coherent Raman spectroscopy for supersonic velocity and temperature measurements, Raman studies of surfaces and thin films, as well as the initiations of coherent Rayleigh-Brillouin gain spectroscopy.

For the past 20 years, he has made a series of innovations in two high-spectral-resolution lidars: Rayleigh-Mie lidar and narrowband sodium lidar for atmospheric temperature and wind measurements, respectively in the lower and upper atmosphere. The narrowband sodium lidar, now capable of measuring mesopause region (80-110 km in altitude) temperature and wind on a 24-hour continuous basis, has enjoyed considerable success with continued NSF funding for upper atmospheric research since 1989. Its technology and innovations were and are being duplicated by national and international middle- and upper-atmospheric research facilities. Prof. She’s current research enabled by this unique lidar system is supported by NSF, NASA and AFOSR.

Selected Publications

• C. Y. She and U. von Zahn, "The concept of two-level mesopause: Support through new lidar observation," J. Geophys. Res. 103, 5855 (1998).

• C. Y. She, S. W. Thiel and D. A. Krueger, "Observed episodic warming at 86 and 100 km between 1990 and 1997: Effects of Mount Pinatubo eruption," Geophys. Res. Lett. 25, 497 (1998).

• C. Y. She, S. S. Chen, Z. L. Hu, J. Sherman, J. D. Vance, V. Vasoli, M. A. White, J. R. Yu, and D. A. Krueger, "Eight-year climatology of nocturnal temperature and sodium density in the mesopause region (80 to 105 km) over Fort Collins, CO," Geophys. Res. Lett. 27, 3289 (2000).

• C. Y. She, "Spectral structure of laser light scattering revisited: bandwidths of nonresonant scattering lidar," Appl. Opt. 40, 4875 (2001).

• C. Y. She and D. A. Krueger, "Impact of natural variability in the 11-year mesopause region temperature observation over Fort Collins, CO," Adv. Space Phys. 34, 330 (2004).

• C. Y. She, Tao Li, Biff P. Williams, Tao Yuan and R. H. Picard, "Concurrent OH imager and sodium temperature/wind lidar observation of a mesopause region undular bore event over Fort Collins/Platteville, CO," J. Geophys. Res. 109, D22107 (2004).

• C.Y. She, Tao Li, Tao Yuan, Takuya Kawahara and David A. Krueger, "Tidal perturbations and variability in the mesopause region over Fort Collins, CO," Geophys. Res. Lett. 31, L24111 (2004).