Atmospheric-Turbulence-Induced Laser Beamspread,
Abstract
The report presents a general simplified prescription for estimation of the beamspread of a laser beam propagating in a turbulent medium. Simple analytic approximations are presented. These permit estimation of beamspread and antenna gain without the detailed numerical calculations associated with an arbitrary wavefront in an aperture. The physical significance of these results is discussed. Finally, recent experimental data for the atmospheric temperature structure constant profile are presented and used for estimation of the turbulence-induced beamspread and mean on-axis power loss of an upwardly propagating, 0.53-micrometer beam. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 30, 1971
- Accession Number
- AD0735665
Entities
People
- Harold T. Yura
Organizations
- The Aerospace Corporation