Phase-compensated optical beam propagation through atmospheric turbulence

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Atmospheric Optics
• Laser Beam Propagation

Background:

• Atmospheric turbulence distorts laser beams, degrading performance.
• Phase compensation techniques can mitigate these distortions.
• Understanding the impact of transmitter parameters and correction orders is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To calculate the modulation transfer function and irradiance profile of phase-compensated laser beams.
• To evaluate beam quality metrics under various atmospheric turbulence conditions.
• To investigate the influence of transmitter characteristics and modal phase corrections.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Zernike polynomials for modal phase corrections.
• Analyzed focused Gaussian and collimated laser beams.
• Calculated modulation transfer function and irradiance profiles.
• Examined effects of transmitter central obscuration.

Main Results:

• Quantified improvements in beam quality (Strehl ratio, spot radius, energy in a bucket) with phase compensation.
• Demonstrated the effectiveness of low- and high-order Zernike corrections.
• Showcased the impact of normalized transmitter diameter (D/r(0)) on beam performance.
• Presented numerical results for various scenarios, including central obscuration.

Conclusions:

• Phase compensation significantly enhances laser beam quality through atmospheric turbulence.
• The choice of Zernike modes and transmitter parameters critically affects performance.
• This research provides valuable insights for designing robust laser communication and imaging systems.