Fresnel Lens Characterization for Potential Use in an Unpiloted Atmospheric Vehicle DIAL Receiver System

Acrylic plastic Fresnel lenses are very light and can have large diameters. Such lenses could be used in lidar telescope receivers if the focal spot is not too large or distorted. This research effort characterizes the focal spot diameter produced by a Fresnel lens with a diameter of 30.5 cm (12 in.). It was found that the focal spot diameter varied from 1.2 mm at 750 nm to 1.6 mm at 910 nm. The focal spot was irregular and not easily described by a Gaussian profile.