Strehl ratio and scintillation theory for uplink Gaussian-beam waves: beam wander effects

Larry C. Andrews; Ronald L. Phillips; Richard J. Sasiela; Ronald R. Parenti

doi:10.1117/1.2219470

1 July 2006 Strehl ratio and scintillation theory for uplink Gaussian-beam waves: beam wander effects

Larry C. Andrews, Ronald L. Phillips, Richard J. Sasiela, Ronald R. Parenti

Author Affiliations +

Optical Engineering, Vol. 45, Issue 7, 076001 (July 2006). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.2219470

Abstract

First-order weak-fluctuation Rytov theory predicts that the longitudinal (on-axis) component of the scintillation index of an uplink collimated beam will become significantly smaller as the size of the transmitter aperture increases up to around 100 cm. However, the results of recent computer simulations are at odds with this behavior, and we believe that this discrepancy is due to the fact that the conventional Rytov theory does not correctly account for the effects of beam wander on the scintillation index. We present a theoretical structure that accurately describes far-field irradiance fluctuations caused by uncorrected beam wander. This new theory is validated by demonstrating excellent agreement between the predicted scintillation index and computer code results for both tracked and untracked beams. For many applications of practical interest, such as free-space optical communications, a good understanding of the time-average Strehl ratio is also essential simulation results for this parameter are presented and shown to be in good agreement with the theory.

©(2006) Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)

Citation Download Citation

Larry C. Andrews, Ronald L. Phillips, Richard J. Sasiela, and Ronald R. Parenti "Strehl ratio and scintillation theory for uplink Gaussian-beam waves: beam wander effects," Optical Engineering 45(7), 076001 (1 July 2006). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.2219470

Published: 1 July 2006

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