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The case for a multi-channel polarization sensitive LIDAR for investigation of insolation-driven ices and atmospheres Planetary Science Decadal Survey White Paper
  • +18
  • Adrian Jon Brown,
  • Gorden Videen,
  • Evgenij Zubko,
  • Nick Heavens,
  • Nicole-Jeanne Schlegel,
  • Pat Beccera,
  • Colin Meyer,
  • Tanya Harrison,
  • Paul Hayne,
  • Rachel Obbard,
  • Tim Michaels,
  • Michael J Wolff,
  • Scott D. Guzewich,
  • Claire Newman,
  • Christian J Grund,
  • Chae Kyung Sim,
  • Aymeric Spiga,
  • Peter B Buhler,
  • Margaret E Landis,
  • Timothy J Stubbs,
  • Devanshu Jha
Adrian Jon Brown
Plancius Research

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Gorden Videen
Space Sciences Institute
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Evgenij Zubko
Kyung Hee Space Institute
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Nick Heavens
Space Sciences Institute
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Nicole-Jeanne Schlegel
JPL
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Pat Beccera
Bern University
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Colin Meyer
Dartmouth
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Tanya Harrison
Outer Space Institute
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Paul Hayne
Colorado
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Rachel Obbard
SETI Institute
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Tim Michaels
SETI Institute
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Michael J Wolff
Space Sciences Institute
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Scott D. Guzewich
Goddard Space Flight Center
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Claire Newman
Aeolis Research
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Christian J Grund
Other
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Chae Kyung Sim
Kyung Hee Space Institute
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Aymeric Spiga
LMD Jussieu, LMD Jussieu
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Peter B Buhler
JPL/Caltech
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Margaret E Landis
LASP Colorado
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Timothy J Stubbs
Goddard Space Flight Center
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Devanshu Jha
MVJCE, India
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Abstract

All LIDAR instruments are not the same, and advancement of LIDAR technology requires an ongoing interest and demand from the community to foster further development of the required components. The purpose of this paper is to make the community aware of the need for further technical development, and the potential payoff of investing experimental time, money and thought into the next generation of LIDARs. Technologies for development: We advocate for future development of LIDAR technologies to measure the polarization state of the reflected light at selected multiple wavelengths, chosen according to the species of interest (e.g., H2O and CO2 in the Martian setting). Key scientific questions: In the coming decade, dollars spent on these LIDAR technologies will go towards addressing key climate questions on Mars and other rocky bodies, particularly those with seasonally changing (i.e. insolation driven) plumes of multiple icy volatiles such as Mars, Enceladus, Triton, or Pluto, and insolation-driven dust lifting, such as cometary bodies and the Moon. We will show from examining past Martian and terrestrial lidars that orbital and landed LIDARs can be effective for producing new insights into insolation-driven processes in current planetary climate on several bodies, beyond that available to our current fleet of largely passive instruments on planetary missions.