Ozone is an important trace component in the atmosphere. Stratospheric ozone can absorb ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun, protecting the Earth’s surface from its damaging effects. However, tropospheric ozone acts as a pollutant gas, posing health risks to human and ecosystems when concentrations are excessive. Similarly, high concentrations of ground-level aerosols not only reduce visibility but also contribute to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. In recent years, domestic control measures for PM_2.5 have led to a gradual decline in its concentrations. On the contrary, ozone pollution has become increasingly prominent. To promote the coordinated control of PM_2.5 and ozone, accurate monitoring of theirspatiotemporal distribution using atmospheric lidar is essential. This enables the characterization of ozone concentrations at both local and larger scales. Achieving this goal necessitates advancements in ozone lidar laser source technology. Currently, most ozone lidar systems employ gaseous Raman laser sources, which suffer from low conversion efficiency and poor stability, rendering them unsuitable for mobile platforms such as vehicle-based monitoring. Therefore, building upon previous research, a novel compact all-solid-state free-tuning four-wavelength laser source for ozone differential absorption lidar using intra-cavity Raman laser technology has been designed. This design further enhances the stability and reliability of the laser source system. It provides a foundation for developing portable, multi-platform differential absorption lidar systems for atmospheric ozone monitoring, thereby expanding the hardware capabilities for such measurements.

For ozone detection wavelength selection, solid-state Raman media including KGW and SrWO₄ crystals were systematically analyzed within an intra-cavity Raman laser system configuration. The designed laser architecture utilizes an 808 nm laser diode-pumped Nd∶YVO₄ crystal to achieve dual-wavelength ultraviolet output. By implementing a nested cavity structure, the system effectively couples laser oscillation with stimulated Raman scattering within a single resonant cavity. Subsequent nonlinear optical interactions generate pulsed outputs spanning ultraviolet and visible spectral regions. This intra-cavity Raman laser serves as the emission source for ozone lidar systems, facilitating comparative atmospheric ozone detection tests to validate the laser’s operational reliability and measurement efficacy. Field validation was further conducted using both ground-based stationary and vehicle-mounted mobile monitoring platforms, enhancing regional ozone distribution monitoring capabilities.

The implementation of an intra-cavity Raman laser system successfully generated four-wavelength laser output (Fig. 3), demonstrating superior optical performance. This laser was integrated into an ozone lidar system. Comparative validation experiments conducted at the Canton Tower environmental monitoring station (Fig. 7) confirmed the reliability and effectiveness of the intra-cavity Raman laser as the lidar emission source. Utilizing this outdoor intra-cavity Raman laser technology, the ozone lidar system performed extended ground-based observations in Xianyang city. These observations yielded high-quality detection data (Fig. 10), simultaneously capturing cloud altitude, aerosol transport and dissipation dynamics, along with spatiotemporal ozone concentration distribution patterns. Furthermore, mobile monitoring trials conducted with the lidar system in Nanjing effectively pinpointed localized ozone concentration hotspots along the survey route (Fig. 12), providing valuable technical support for tracing ozone pollution origins.

A differential absorption lidar emission laser source for atmospheric ozone monitoring has been developed employing intra-cavity Raman laser technology. This innovative system utilizes nested resonator configurations and nonlinear optical effects to generate high-quality visible and ultraviolet laser beams, enabling simultaneous detection of atmospheric ozone and aerosol vertical profiles. The intra-cavity architecture significantly reduces reliance on external optical components, enhancing the overall system stability. Through compact integrated design, the laser’s physical dimensions have been substantially minimized, enhancing its suitablility for mobile monitoring platforms. The lidar system, based on this intra-cavity Raman laser, has been successfully deployed in multiple operational scenarios, including extended ground-based observations and vehicular mobile detection campaigns. Field monitoring data consistently demonstrate the robust and reliable system performance, establishing critical hardware foundations for advancing atmospheric ozone monitoring capabilities.