Using experimental data from a balloon experiment to assess optical performance

Timothy T. Clark; Christopher A. Clarke

doi:10.1117/12.827579

12 August 2009 Using experimental data from a balloon experiment to assess optical performance

Timothy T. Clark, Christopher A. Clarke

Proceedings Volume 7463, Atmospheric Optics: Models, Measurements, and Target-in-the-Loop Propagation III; 74630A (2009) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.827579
Event: SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications, 2009, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

Recent measurements of atmospheric optical turbulence from a novel balloon experiment showed some atmospheric turbulence behaviors that departed significantly from the Kolmogorov theory. In many cases, at various altitudes, the turbulence showed no inertial range scaling, thus assigning a value of C²_N to the turbulence was not possible. The actual distributions of the intensity of the turbulence did not match what would be expected from the typical profiles of C²_N . To assess the optical effects of the measured turbulence, the temperature data measured by the balloon-mounted equipment is converted to refractive index data using standard, published conversion factors. The resulting refractive index structure functions at the various altitudes are then used to compute phase-perturbations structure functions. These are then used to generate phase screens, which are then used in a wave-optics propagation code to compute the point-spread function of a point source located at the highest elevation of the data set propagating to the lowest elevation of the data set. The results are then compared to similar results for a Clear One profile and a Hufnagel-Valley profile applied to Kolmogorov turbulence. The results indicate that the recently measured turbulence environment is relatively optically benign compared to either Clear One or Hufnagel-Valley.

Citation Download Citation

Timothy T. Clark and Christopher A. Clarke "Using experimental data from a balloon experiment to assess optical performance", Proc. SPIE 7463, Atmospheric Optics: Models, Measurements, and Target-in-the-Loop Propagation III, 74630A (12 August 2009); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.827579

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available