Increasing the transillumination capacity of a laser beam in the atmosphere

A numerical simulation has been carried out of the propagation of CW laser beams on a vertical path in the atmospheric boundary layer up to a height of 3 km in summer and winter conditions. It is shown that the transillumination capacity of the beam can be increased without affecting its power by means of the redistribution of radiation intensity and phase in the plane of the transmitting aperture. The use of elliptical and focused beams makes it possible to increase the radiation penetration depth in near and far aerosol layers, respectively.