Abstract: In order to develop a lidar to measure temperature profiles in the planetary boundary layer, the vertical distribution of atmospheric temperature was retrieved based on the ratio of the rotational Raman spectrum intensity of nitrogen and oxygen. After theoretical analysis and experimental research of rotational Raman lidar system, the atmospheric temperature data in the boundary layer were obtained.The results show that, the atmospheric temperature measured by the lidar is in good agreement with atmospheric model in the range of 0km to 2.5km. The statistical error caused by random fluctuation of signal at 2.5km reaches 1K under the conditions of laser energy of 100mJ, measurement time of about 17min and vertical resolution of 7.5m. The atmospheric temperature below 2.5km within the boundary layer can be measured with high accuracy. The increase of laser pulse energy or the select of the telescope with large caliber would improve the height of the measurement further. The study provides the favorable guidance for development of rotational Raman lidar systems for detecting atmosphere temperature in boundary layer.