Laser technology Lidar can detect methane leaks from orbit and helicopter

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Fraunhofer-Institut für Lasertechnik

GGB Heilbronn GmbH

Methane is one of the most potent greenhouse gases. With precise lidar technology, the gas can be detected from the air and space. Diode-pumped Alexandrite lasers provide the basis - highly stable, mobile, and suitable for space.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT is developing laser systems for the high-precision detection of greenhouse gases like methane (CH₄) in the atmosphere. Using specially adapted lidar technology (Light Detection and Ranging), concentrations of climate-sensitive gases can be optically detected over great distances - with high spectral resolution and in real-time.

The central component of the measuring systems is compact, diode-pumped alexandrite lasers. These solid-state lasers are characterized by high wavelength stability in the near-infrared range, typically 760 to 820 nm, which makes them ideal for spectrally selective measurement methods like differential absorption Lidar measurement (DIAL). Thanks to active wavelength selection, absorption lines of gases such as methane can be precisely targeted.

Use in airborne and space-based applications

The laser systems deliver high-energy, narrow-band pulse signals with a repetition rate in the kilohertz range – crucial for use in airborne and space-based applications, where mass, volume, and energy requirements are limited.

A flagship project is the German-French climate mission MERLIN (Methane Remote Sensing Lidar Mission). The small satellite, planned for 2027, will carry a lidar system specifically targeted at methane – a greenhouse gas with approximately 25 times the greenhouse potential of CO₂ over a period of 100 years.

The Fraunhofer ILT provides the Laser Optical Bench—the optical heart of the instrument. It emits laser pulses at two closely spaced wavelengths: one strongly absorbed by methane and a reference wavelength outside the absorption line. The methane concentration in the atmosphere can be reliably determined from the ratio of the backscattered signals—even at higher altitudes or under changing weather conditions.

Application in mobile platforms

In addition to being used in orbit, the technology is also being tested in mobile airborne systems: In another project, the Lidar system was integrated into a helicopter to measure methane concentrations from the air. The laser source is connected via a fiber optic cable to an external transmitter telescope mounted outside the helicopter. This design enables flexible adaptation to different platforms and allows detailed in-situ measurements along pipelines or in hard-to-reach areas—such as detecting leaks in the natural gas infrastructure.

The developments of the Fraunhofer ILT exemplify how laser-based sensor systems for environmental and climate data can be realized with extreme requirements.

• Integration of compact, highly efficient laser modules in mobile or space-based platforms,

• Control, synchronization, and signal evaluation of high-frequency laser pulses in real-time,

• thermal and mechanical stability of optical assemblies under orbital conditions as well as

• reliable spectral calibration over long periods of use

Lidar systems assist in remote environmental sensing, especially for spatially high-resolution global climate data. Methane can be specifically and accurately detected. For example, for monitoring leaks in gas infrastructure, in agriculture, and for international climate models and emission balances. (heh)

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