PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF UV SOURCES FOR LIDAR FLUOROSENSING OF OIL FILMS.

A laboratory experiment is discussed which simulates lidar fluorosensing of oil films on the sea surface at UV wavelengths. Three different mixtures of lasing gases, KrF, XeCl and N//2, were used while a fourth wavelength was given by a dye laser. It turns out that films having a thickness as low as 0. 01 mu m can be detected; the limiting factor resides mainly in the background fluorescence of water. Best results have been obtained with the XeCl excimer laser.