Turbulence profiling using pupil plane wavefront data derived Fried parameter values for a dynamically ranged Rayleigh beacon

Abstract

Long-range optical imaging applications are typically hindered by atmospheric turbulence. The effect of turbulence on an imaging system can manifest itself as an image blur effect usually quantified by the phase distortions present in the system. The blurring effect can be understood on the basis of the measured strength of atmospheric optical turbulence along the propagation path and its impacts on phase perturbation statistics within the imaging system. One method for obtaining these measurements is by the use of a dynamically ranged Rayleigh beacon system that exploits strategically varied beacon ranges along the propagation path, effectively obtaining estimates of the aberrations affecting an optical imaging system. We developed a method for extracting tomographic turbulence strength estimations from a dynamically ranged Rayleigh beacon system that uses a Shack-Hartmann sensor as the phase measurement device. The foundation for extracting tomographic information from strategically range-varied beacon measurements obtained in rapid sequence is presented along with modeled example cases for typical turbulence scenarios. Additionally, the processing algorithm was used to simulate identification of isolated strong turbulence layers. We present the chosen processing algorithm's foundation and provide discussion of the utility of this algorithm as an atmospheric turbulence profiling methodology. © The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, including its DOI.

A new approach to profiling atmospheric turbulence using a dynamically ranged Raleigh beacon system

“…The optical setup and the previous method of analysis has been reported previously. [13][14][15] An image of the beam in operation and optical integration at John Bryan Observatory (JBO) is shown in Fig. 1.…”

Turbulent flows of temperature variance in the atmospheric surface layer

“…The variance of air temperature in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) and its surface part is an important factor affecting, in particular, the processes of optical radiation propagation [1][2][3][4], the quality of astronomical and geodetic observations [5][6][7][8], and the structure and dynamics of the ABL temperature field [9][10][11][12][13][14]. That is why diagnostics and analysis of the height-time structure of temperature variance are urgent from the viewpoint of applying the obtained results to solution of diverse (theoretical and applied) problems.…”

“…The purpose of the study was to consider the parameters under the signs of derivatives in Equation (1), rather than to solve this equation. In the first turn, they are the variance u .…”