In recent days, Researchers of Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics successfully captured a picture of the sodium layer laser guide star in the height of 80-110 km.

The sodium laser guide star was produced by exciting the sodium atoms to resonance fluorescence in 80-110 km altitude using a high performance laser beam. It likes an “Artificial star” poised in the upper air. A series of atmospheric researches could be carried out based on the detecting and photographing of this “laser star”, such as adaptive optics for atmospheric turbulence correlation, high resolution astronomical imaging, space objects reorganization, laser weapons, high-speed free-space laser communication and et al. It has become a hotspot of atmospheric optics research in the world.

After years of lidar technology improvement for the sodium layer detection, researchers of our institute have developed the technique of atom laser frequency stabilization and signal atomic filter, making the signal detection of sodium layer echo of lidar much stronger. Based on these techniques, the detection, imaging and wave-front inversion of low-altitude Rayleigh laser guide star have been achieved. After lidar system design and performed for a long time, researchers finally succeeded in achieving the image of sodium layer laser guide star at Yanqing, Beijing. To our knowledge, it is the first time to achieve the photograph the sodium laser guide star image in China, non relevant reports have been found before. It has great potential for the coming research.