Turbulence profiles and outer length scale determination in the atmosphere using balloons/ Aaron M Holdaway
Download
Author
Holdaway, Aaron M.
Date
2000-03Advisor
Walters, Donald L.
Miller, Douglas K.
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Turbulence in the atmosphere drives the formation of temperature inhomogeneities that scatter and diffract propagating electromagnetic waves, adversely affecting laser weapons and high-resolution optical systems. Military operations require reliable turbulence profiles for the development and validation of turbulence prediction models. This research investigated the false turbulence contribution caused by well-known temperature steps in the vertical profile of the atmosphere, especially in the stratosphere. The homogeneity and isotropy requirements of structure functions were used to develop a technique to remove the false contribution to the temperature structure constant, Cr(2). Both 1.54 cm and 5.82 m vertical resolution profiles with 0.001 to 0.01 K temperature resolution were collected from a balloon flight. Steps of 0.1 to 1 K in the vertical temperature profile produce abrupt changes in the mean temperature that obscure the measurement of the actual turbulent fluctuations. Removing these anomalies exposed the underlying Cr(2) distribution. Application of the new technique for several sampling intervals revealed a Kolmogorov inertial subrange extending from approx. 25 cm to approx. 10 m. The potential of this technique to compute the isoplanatic angle, theta0, coherence length, r0, and Greenwood frequency, f(g), reliably by using inexpensive balloons should benefit airborne and space-based laser programs.
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
Investigations of a single point temperature probe for measurement of atmospheric turbulence
Hoover, Cloyes R. (Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School, 1991-12);Gradients in the index of refraction caused by temperature fluctuations create optical turbulence. This optical turbulence greatly degrades the performance of imaging and laser systems operating in the atmosphere. There ... -
sUAS-based Payload Development and Testing for Quantifying Optical Turbulence [video]
Suring, Lee; Yamaguchi, Ryan; Jones, Kevin; Wang, Qing (2018-04-18);Small UAS (sUAS) are a cost-effective and easy to use solution to fill the niche between surface-based measurement platforms (e.g. buoys, WaveRider, etc.) and measurements with manned aircraft, providing a three dimensional ... -
sUAS-based Payload Development and Testing for Quantifying Optical Turbulence
Suring, Lee; Yamaguchi, Ryan; Jones, Kevin; Wang, Qing (2018-04-18);Small UAS (sUAS) are a cost-effective and easy to use solution to fill the niche between surface-based measurement platforms (e.g. buoys, WaveRider, etc.) and measurements with manned aircraft, providing a three dimensional ...