A scheme for aligning a bistatic lidar with liquid mirror telescope (LMT) is described. It is based on the fact that the axis of an LMT is absolutely vertical so that the focal point can be accurately found with a pair of vertically propagating helium neon laser beams, initially retroreflected from a liquid surface (such as the quiescent mercury surface of the LMT). When the detector is located at the focus of the parabolic reflector, the illuminating laser beam has only to be aligned absolutely vertical. This is done with an oil filled cup with a fiat glass bottom. #1997 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers S0091-3286(97)03105-X Subject terms: bistatic lidar; liquid mirror telescope; ionosphere. Paper 21076 received July 22, 1996; revised manuscript received Dec. 16, 1996; accepted for publication Dec. 16, 1996.
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