Diego A. Lozano Jimenez, Department of Mechanical Engineering – University of Texas at El Paso, Dr. Vinod Kumar, Department of Mechanical Engineering – University of Texas at El Paso, Dr. V.S. Rao Gudimetla, Air Force Research Laboratory
Keywords: Deep turbulence, Laser Prorogation, Phase screen, Fractal dimension, Intermittent
Abstract:
Laser beam propagation through atmospheric turbulence is investigated using the phase screen approach with the von Kármán refractive power spectral density. For simplicity, plane wave propagation through a 10,000m long atmospheric horizontal path is considered. Statistical analysis of the phase information at the output signal and related metrics are examined. Initial phase screen values are observed to be discontinuous and, therefore, unwrapped using 2D Goldstein branch cut phase unwrapping algorithm to remove the unphysical discontinuities. Statistical parameters such as phase variance, autocorrelation and structure function are calculated to describe the random behavior of phase. At high turbulence, simulated values are well below the theoretical approximations due to limitations within the simulation. Phase information can characterize atmospheric effects on laser propagation over a long path but further investigations are needed to establish the use of phase data at deep turbulence.
Date of Conference: September 19-22, 2017
Track: Poster