Investigation of the height dependency of optical turbulence in the surface layer over False Bay (South Africa)

Detlev Sprung; Alexander M. J. van Eijk; Willie Günter; Derek Griffith; Christian Eisele; Erik Sucher; Dirk Seiffer; Karin Stein

doi:10.1117/12.2275859

7 September 2017 Investigation of the height dependency of optical turbulence in the surface layer over False Bay (South Africa)

Detlev Sprung, Alexander M. J. van Eijk, Willie Günter, Derek Griffith, Christian Eisele, Erik Sucher, Dirk Seiffer, Karin Stein

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 10408, Laser Communication and Propagation through the Atmosphere and Oceans VI; 104080U (2017) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2275859
Event: SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications, 2017, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

Atmospheric turbulence impacts on the propagation of electro-optical radiation. Typical manifestations of optical turbulence are scintillation (intensity fluctuations), beam wander and (for laser systems) reduction of beam quality. For longer propagation channels, it is important to characterize the vertical and horizontal distribution (inhomogeneity) of the optical turbulence. In the framework of the First European South African Transmission ExpeRiment (FESTER) optical turbulence was measured between June 2015 and February 2016 over a 1.8 km over-water link over False Bay. The link ran from the Institute of Maritime Technology (IMT) at Simons Town to the lighthouse at Roman Rock Island. Three Boundary layer scintillometers (BLS900) allowed assessing the vertical distribution of optical turbulence at three different heights between 5 and 12 m above the water surface. The expected decrease with C_n²with height is not always found. These results are analyzed in terms of the meteorological scenario, and a comparison is made with a fourth optical link providing optical turbulence data over a 8.69 km path from IMT to St. James, roughly perpendicular to the three 1.8 km paths.

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Detlev Sprung, Alexander M. J. van Eijk, Willie Günter, Derek Griffith, Christian Eisele, Erik Sucher, Dirk Seiffer, and Karin Stein "Investigation of the height dependency of optical turbulence in the surface layer over False Bay (South Africa)", Proc. SPIE 10408, Laser Communication and Propagation through the Atmosphere and Oceans VI, 104080U (7 September 2017); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2275859

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KEYWORDS

Optical turbulence

Atmospheric propagation

Atmospheric turbulence

Electro optics

Laser systems engineering

Meteorology

Optical testing

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