An Experiment For Measuring Effect Of Atmospheric Turbulence On A Vertical Optical Path

Robert R. Shannon; W.Scott Smith

doi:10.1117/12.954736

19 July 1976 An Experiment For Measuring Effect Of Atmospheric Turbulence On A Vertical Optical Path

Robert R. Shannon, W.Scott Smith

Proceedings Volume 0075, Imaging Through the Atmosphere; (1976) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.954736
Event: 1976 SPIE/SPSE Technical Symposium East, 1976, Reston, United States

Abstract

The experiment to be described is intended to obtain a measure of the limit on the phase coherent propagation of light along a vertical path from a point source. This experiment utilizes an argon laser to generate a pair of coherent point sources in an aircraft. These sources generate a fringe pattern on the ground. As the aircraft flies along a track over a set of ground detectors, a frequency modulated signal is generated in the photoelectric detectors, the frequency modulation being proportional to the phase shift difference along the two paths from the plane. A Fourier transform of the data produces a measure of the phase coherence function or the Atmospheric Transfer Function of the atmospheric path. A modification of the direct experiment uses polarized sources in the transmitter to permit reconstruction of the phase difference function along the paths. From this data, the statistical parameters of the phase structure and log-amplitude behaviour can be obtained.

Citation Download Citation

Robert R. Shannon and W.Scott Smith "An Experiment For Measuring Effect Of Atmospheric Turbulence On A Vertical Optical Path", Proc. SPIE 0075, Imaging Through the Atmosphere, (19 July 1976); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.954736

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