OPTICAL SCINTILLATION; A SURVEY OF THE LITERATURE
Abstract
The effects of atmospheric refraction on the propagation of electromagnetic radiation at optical frequencies are discussed. Numerous observational, experimental, and theoretical aspects of random refraction, that is, of scintillation in its widest sense, are discussed. The following topics are dealt with: refraction in plane and in spherically stratified media, refractive index variations, radio refraction, scintillation as a function of aperture size, zenith distance, site location, dispersion, and meteorological conditions, the frequency spectrum of scintillation, terrestrial scintillation, image distortion and contrast reduction, refraction and diffraction theories of scintillation, autocorrelation analyses, radio star scintillation, and coherence problems. Questions of atmospheric scattering, absorption, and depolarization are excluded. Finally, a brief review is given concerning newer experimental methods for the observation, recording, and analysis of optical scintillation, including suggestions as to what further theoretical and experimental efforts should be undertaken.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 05, 1965
- Accession Number
- AD0614056
Entities
People
- Constantinos B. Emmanuel
- Jurgen R. Meyer-arendt
Organizations
- National Institute of Standards and Technology