Laboratory Simulation of Atmospheric Turbulence For Optical Propagation Studies,

Abstract

Accurate simulation, on a laboratory scale, of atmospherically induced scintillation phenomena is achieved by creating an unstable vertical temperature gradient in a 1.5-m long, 40-cm wide and 60-cm deep tank filled with water. The turbulent index of refraction has a statistical structure similar to that of the atmosphere; in particular, the Kolmogoro's inertial subrange model is verified. The turbulent irradiance data in the simulation medium have the same features respecting power spectrum, saturation and supersaturation and obey the same theoretical scaling law as in the atmosphere. Typically, the characteristic propagation distances are reduced by a factor of 300 to 400. (Author)

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 01, 1977
Accession Number
ADA045539

Entities

People

  • L. R. Bissonnette

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Sensors

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Atmospheric Motion
  • Diffraction
  • Distortion
  • Frequency Bands
  • Lasers
  • Measurement
  • Normal Distribution
  • Optics
  • Plane Waves
  • Power Spectra
  • Radiation
  • Refraction
  • Refractive Index
  • Saturation
  • Scaling Laws
  • Temperature Gradients
  • Wave Propagation

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Atmospheric Science / Meteorology, specifically Wind Wave Turbulence.
  • Mathematics or Statistics