Beam wander analysis for focused partially coherent beams propagating in turbulence

Xifeng Xiao; David G. Voelz

doi:10.1117/1.OE.51.2.026001

1 March 2012 Beam wander analysis for focused partially coherent beams propagating in turbulence

Xifeng Xiao, David G. Voelz

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Optical Engineering, Vol. 51, Issue 2, 026001 (March 2012). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.OE.51.2.026001

Abstract

We extend the theory of beam wander for propagation through atmospheric turbulence to the case of a focused partially coherent beam (PCB). In addition to investigating the beam wander expression, we restate expressions for the beam size, long- and short-time average beam intensity profile, and the on-axis scintillation index of tracked and untracked beams. A wave optics simulation is implemented and the numerical results are compared with corresponding analytic results. The cases examined involve turbulence strengths ranging from C_n² = 10−16 to 10−14 m−2/3 and for various horizontal paths ranging from 1 to 10 km. Although the extended analytic theory stems from a study of coherent beams, the simulation results show good agreement with the analytical results for PCBs in fluctuation regimes ranging from weak to intermediate.

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Xifeng Xiao and David G. Voelz "Beam wander analysis for focused partially coherent beams propagating in turbulence," Optical Engineering 51(2), 026001 (1 March 2012). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.OE.51.2.026001

Published: 1 March 2012

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