Theory of Scintillation: Spherical Wave Model

doi:10.1117/3.412858.ch4

Book: Laser Beam Scintillation with Applications

Author(s): Larry C. Andrews, Ronald L. Phillips, Cynthia Y. Young

Published: 2001

https://doi.org/10.1117/3.412858.ch4

Author Affiliations +

Abstract

The general plane wave model discussed in early investigations is often used in describing properties of starlight and other exo-atmospheric sources at a ground-based receiver. In addition to the plane wave model, some early investigations included a spherical wave model or, equivalently, a point source. At distance L from the transmitter source, the spherical wave model under a paraxial approximation is mathematically described by U 0 (r,L)=1 4ÏL exp[ikL+ikr 2 2L ], where r is a transverse vector and k is the optical wave number. The spherical wave model is sometimes used for a small-aperture source within or near the turbulent medium. In this chapter we present a treatment of spherical wave propagation through optical turbulence parallel to that in Chapter 3 for a plane wave.