New Experimental Data on Atmospheric Propagation
R. R. Shannon 1,
C. Ceccon 2,
W. S. Smith 3,
W. Metheny 4, and
R. Philbrick 5
1 Professor in the Optical Sciences Center, University of Arizona, Tucson 85721
2 Research associate in the Optical Sciences Center, University of Arizona, Tucson 85721
3 Contraves Goerz Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15238
4 Lockheed Aircraft, Palo Alto, California
5 Bell Helicopter Corporation, Fort Worth, Texas
An experiment has been performed to measure directly the effect of atmospheric turbulence on spherical wave propagation of light on a vertical path. The results permit determination of the magnitude of the effect at a variety of locations and under different conditions. Agreement is found with the functional form predicted by the inertial theory of turbulence. General agreement is found with scattering data obtained by a low-frequency radar and with predictions of some turbulence profile models. The results also demonstrate some reasons for poor agreement with time integrating sensors.
