Steady optical beam propagating through turbulent environment

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Wave Propagation

Background:

• Disordered media and turbulent environments pose significant challenges for stable light beam propagation.
• Conventional Gaussian beams suffer from high divergence and deformation, limiting their use in practical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To construct and characterize a steady optical beam (SOB) with enhanced propagation stability in disordered media.
• To compare the propagation characteristics of the SOB with a conventional Gaussian beam.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a specially designed aspherical lens to generate the steady optical beam.
• Conducted theoretical analysis and experimental measurements to evaluate beam properties.
• Assessed divergence, Rayleigh length, and deformation in turbulent environments.

Main Results:

• The generated SOB exhibited significantly smaller divergence and longer Rayleigh length compared to Gaussian beams.
• The SOB showed markedly weaker deformation when propagating through a turbulent environment.
• The beam parameter product of the SOB reached 49.40% of the Gaussian beam's value.

Conclusions:

• The developed SOB offers superior propagation stability and resilience in disordered and turbulent conditions.
• The SOB's enhanced properties make it a promising candidate for optical communications and detection systems operating in challenging environments.