Study of turbulence effects for a free-space optical link over water

Research output: Chapter in Book or Conference Publication/ProceedingConference Publicationpeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In this paper we report on measurements of atmospheric turbulence effects arising from water air interaction. The aim of this study is to aid in the design of a free-space optical relay system to facilitate longer line-of-sight distances between relay buoys in a large expanse of water. Analysis of turbulence statistics will provide the basis for adaptive optics solutions to improve the relay signal strength affected by scintillation and beam wander. We report on experiments determining the isokinetic angle using an array of broadband incoherent sources of variable angular separation on the order of 0.1 mrad to 2.8 mrad. The experimental setup consists of a 5 inch telescope with high speed CMOS camera observing over a distance of 300 m close at a height of 1.5 m above the water surface. As part of the turbulence characterisation we experimentally estimate the relative image motion of angle-ofarrival fluctuations and perform other time series analysis. Analysis of the image motion requires new techniques due to the extended nature of the source. We explore different centroiding algorithms and surface fitting techniques.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationOptics in Atmospheric Propagation and Adaptive Systems XIII
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2010
EventOptics in Atmospheric Propagation and Adaptive Systems XIII - Toulouse, France
Duration: 20 Sep 201021 Sep 2010

Publication series

NameProceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
Volume7828
ISSN (Print)0277-786X

Conference

ConferenceOptics in Atmospheric Propagation and Adaptive Systems XIII
Country/TerritoryFrance
CityToulouse
Period20/09/1021/09/10

Keywords

  • Adaptive optics
  • Atmospheric turbulence
  • Beam wander
  • Free-space optical communication
  • Image processing
  • Remote sensing

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