Design of an optical remote sensing system for measuring refractive turbulence in the Antarctic boundary layer

Gary G. Gimmestad; J. R. White; Mikhail S. Belen'kii

doi:10.1117/12.254170

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14 October 1996 Design of an optical remote-sensing system for measuring refractive turbulence in the Antarctic boundary layer

Gary G. Gimmestad, J. R. White, Mikhail S. Belen'kii

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Proceedings Volume 2828, Image Propagation through the Atmosphere; (1996) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.254170
Event: SPIE's 1996 International Symposium on Optical Science, Engineering, and Instrumentation, 1996, Denver, CO, United States

Abstract

We have investigated the feasibility of building an innovative optical remote sensing instrument to monitor the vertical profile of the refractive index structure characteristic C_n². There is currently no active optical remote sensing instrument which is capable of doing this. Calculations have been performed for a system designed specifically to resolve a site survey question at the South Pole, where recent balloon soundings suggest that excellent astronomical seeing conditions could be obtained by mounting telescopes above a thin layer of atmospheric refractive turbulence near the surface. The new sensor considered here is essentially an imaging lidar which measures range- dependent laser beam wander, from which the vertical profile of C_n² can be derived. Calculations based on atmospheric characteristics and preliminary design parameters have been carried out for a practical system based on commercially available components. Design parameters include the choice of operating wavelength, elevation angle, transmitter and receiver diameters, and image scale. The calculations indicate that it is feasible to develop an optical remote sensor for monitoring vertical profiles of C_n² at the South Pole.

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Gary G. Gimmestad, J. R. White, and Mikhail S. Belen'kii "Design of an optical remote-sensing system for measuring refractive turbulence in the Antarctic boundary layer", Proc. SPIE 2828, Image Propagation through the Atmosphere, (14 October 1996); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.254170

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