Field Guide to Atmospheric Optics

Download or read book Field Guide to Atmospheric Optics written by Larry C. Andrews and published by Society of Photo Optical. This book was released on 2004 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The material in this Field Guide is a condensed version of similar material found in two textbooks: Laser Beam Propagation through Random Media (SPIE Vol. PM53) and Laser Beam Scintillation with Applications (SPIE Vol. PM99). Topics chosen for this concise presentation include a review of classical Kolmogorov turbulence theory, Gaussian-beam waves in free space, and atmospheric effects on a propagating optical wave. These atmospheric effects have great importance in a variety of applications like imaging, free space optical communications, laser radar, and remote sensing. This Guide presents tractable mathematical models from which the practitioner can readily determine beam spreading, beam wander, spatial coherence radius (Fried's parameter), angle of arrival fluctuations, scintillation, aperture averaging effects, fade probabilities, bit error-rates, and enhanced backscatter effects, among others.