Measurements of direct path and folded path optical scintillation using a corner cube reflector

Abstract

A theoretical prediction of path weighting for optical scintillation strength was made by Dr. Avihu Ze'evi. As part of a continuing effort at NPS to verify the prediction, a sixty-one meter enclosed tunnel was constructed, allowing the position of a turbulence source to be varied. This experiment tested the Ze'evi hypothesis using a corner cube reflector. The results confirm patterns found in previous experiments, and the general form of the predicted path weighting. However, questions concerning the nature of the turbulence present in the tunnel do not allow strong conclusions to be formed.