This study investigates the use of a recently published generalized scaling law [J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 33(12), 2477-2484 (2016)]. In practice, the generalized scaling law accurately predicts the diffraction-limited peak irradiance in the far-field given the beam power, wavelength, propagation distance, field-effective area, and field-out-coupling factor. After reviewing this scaling-law formulation, we compare the far-zone predictions for peak irradiance and Gaussian beam spread to wave-optics simulations. Overall, the results show that this scaling-law formulation does not predict the correct peak irradiance, nor the correct Gaussian beam spread for horizontal-path scenarios with varying levels of atmospheric turbulence.

Date Published: 18 September 2018
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 10772, Unconventional and Indirect Imaging, Image Reconstruction, and Wavefront Sensing 2018, 1077202 (18 September 2018); doi: 10.1117/12.2319874

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 10772:
Unconventional and Indirect Imaging, Image Reconstruction, and Wavefront Sensing 2018
Jean J. Dolne; Philip J. Bones, Editor(s)