Spontaneous Rayleigh-Brillouin scattering experiments in air, N2 and O2 have
been performed for a wide range of temperatures and pressures at a wavelength
of 403 nm and at a 90 degrees scattering angle. Measurements of the
Rayleigh-Brillouin spectral scattering profile were conducted at high
signal-to-noise ratio for all three species, yielding high-quality spectra
unambiguously showing the small differences between scattering in air, and its
constituents N2 and O2. Comparison of the experimental spectra with
calculations using the Tenti S6 model, developed in 1970s based on linearized
kinetic equations for molecular gases, demonstrates that this model is valid to
high accuracy. After previous measurements performed at 366 nm, the Tenti S6
model is here verified for a second wavelength of 403 nm. Values for the bulk
viscosity for the gases are derived by optimizing the model to the
measurements. It is verified that the bulk viscosity parameters obtained from
previous experiments at 366 nm, are valid for wavelengths of 403 nm. Also for
air, which is treated as a single-component gas with effective gas transport
coefficients, the Tenti S6 treatment is validated for 403 nm as for the
previously used wavelength of 366 nm, yielding an accurate model description of
the scattering profiles for a range of temperatures and pressures, including
those of relevance for atmospheric studies. It is concluded that the Tenti S6
model, further verified in the present study, is applicable to LIDAR
applications for exploring the wind velocity and the temperature profile
distributions of the Earth's atmosphere. Based on the present findings,
predictions can be made on the spectral profiles for a typical LIDAR
backscatter geometry, which deviate by some 7 percent from purely Gaussian
profiles at realistic sub-atmospheric pressures occurring at 3-5 km altitude in
the Earth's atmosphere