In earlier work we have shown that pupil plane branch points carry information about the conditions of the atmospheric turbulence. Experiments in the Atmospheric Simulation and Adaptive-optic Laboratory Test-bed (ASALT) at the Air Force Research Laboratory, Directed Energy Directorate's Starfire Optical Range have shown that branch points can provide the number and velocity of turbulence layers. Here we demonstrate that these measurements can further be used to estimate the turbulence layers' altitude and strength. This work is the culmination of research demonstrating that a methodology exists for identification of the number, altitude, strength, and velocity of atmospheric turbulence layers.

Date Published: 12 August 2010
PDF: 13 pages
Proc. SPIE 7816, Advanced Wavefront Control: Methods, Devices, and Applications VIII, 781605 (12 August 2010); doi: 10.1117/12.859454

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 7816:
Advanced Wavefront Control: Methods, Devices, and Applications VIII
David C. Dayton; Troy A. Rhoadarmer; Darryl J. Sanchez, Editor(s)