Scintillation is one of the most common statistics in the literature of mathematical modeling of laser propagation through random media. One approach to estimating scintillation is through the Rytov approximation, which is limited to weak atmospheric turbulence. Recently, an improvement of the Rytov approximation was developed employing a linear filter function technique. This modifies the Rytov approximation and extends the validity into the moderate to strong regime. In this work, an expression governing scintillation of a Gaussian beam along an uplink slant path valid in all regimes of turbulence is presented, as well as results for the limiting cases of a plane wave and a spherical wave.

L'objectif est de comprendre d'effet de la turbulence optique sur la mesure au sol du rayon solaire. La mesure du rayon solaire avec précision est importante pour les modèles de structure et d'évolution solaire et stellaire. En plus l'activité solaire a une influence certaine sur le climat terrestre. Le travail de thèse a porté sur la calibration et l'exploitation de données issues des télescopes SODISM2, dédié à la mesure du rayon solaire par imagerie pleine, et MISOLFA un moniteur de turbulence qui permet d'estimer les paramètres spatio-temporels de celle-ci. Les premières mesures de MISOLFA montrent sa capacité pour l'extraction des profils de la turbulence et des paramètres intégrés à partir des fluctuations des angles d'arrivées observées sur le bord solaire. Les paramètres spatiaux issus des fluctuations d'intensité dans la voie pupille montrent un bon accord avec les paramètres issus de la voie image. Les premières mesures du temps caractéristique des angles d'arrivée ont été également obtenues qui donnent une valeur moyenne de 5.3 ms sur une année de mesures. SODISM2 est la copie d'un instrument à bord du satellite PICARD (2010-2014). Les premières mesures de cet instrument montrent une grande stabilité et une dispersion de l'ordre de 200 mas. Une tendance à la baisse de l'ordre de 12 mas/an a été également observée mais elle demeure non significative compte tenu de la dispersion. Une nouvelle méthode a été élaborée pour l'obtention des flat field en utilisant les cartes de contrastes. Des simulations numériques d'imagerie à travers la turbulence montrent un effet systématique des paramètres de la turbulence sur l'estimation du rayon et de la largeur du limbe / The objective is to understand the effect of optical turbulence on ground-based solar radius measurements. The measurement of the solar radius with accuracy is important for models of solar and stellar structure and evolution. In addition solar activity has an evident influence on the terrestrial climate. The work focused on the calibration and exploitation of data obtained by two telescopes: SODISM2 dedicated to the measurement of the solar radius by full-disk imaging, and MISOLFA a turbulence monitor which allows to estimate the turbulence spatio-temporal parameters. The first measurements of MISOLFA show its capacity for the extraction of turbulence profiles and integrated parameters from the angle-of-arrival fluctuations observed on the solar edge. The spatial parameters estimated from the intensity fluctuations in the pupil plane show a good agreement with the parameters coming from the image plane. The first measurements of the angle-of-arrival characteristic time have also been obtained which give an average value of 5.3 ms over a year of measurements. SODISM2 is the qualification model of an instrument on board the PICARD satellite (2010-2014). The first measurements of this instrument show a high stability and a dispersion of the order of 200 mas (milli-arcseconds). A downward trend on the order of 12 mas/year was also observed but it is not significant given the dispersion of the measurements. A new method was developed for obtaining flat fields using contrast maps. Numerical simulations of imaging through turbulence show a systematic bias introduced by the effect of the turbulence parameters on the estimation of the radius and the limb width

Astronomical images taken by ground-based telescopes are subject to aberrations induced by the Earth's atmosphere. Adaptive optics (AO) provides a real-time solution to compensate for aberrated wavefronts. The University of Canterbury would like to install an AO system on the 1-m McLellan telescope at Mount John University Observatory (MJUO). The research presented in this thesis is the first step towards this goal. To design an effective AO system it is important to understand the characteristics of the optical turbulence present at a site. Scintillation detection and ranging (SCIDAR) is a remote sensing method capable of measuring the refractive index structure constant, Cn2(h), and the wind velocity profile, V(h). The dominant near ground turbulence (NGT) at MJUO required the use of both pupil-plane and generalised SCIDAR. A purpose-built SCIDAR system was designed and constructed at low cost, using primarily off-the-shelf components. UC-SCIDAR saw first light at MJUO in 2003, and has since undergone several revisions. The current version employs two channels for simultaneous pupil-plane and generalised SCIDAR measurements, and is very portable. Through the use of a different mounting plate the system could be easily placed onto any telescope. Cn2(h) profiling utilised standard analysis techniques. V(h) profiling using data from a 1-m telescope is not common, and existing analysis techniques were extended to provide meaningful V(h) profiles, via the use of partial triplet analysis. Cn2(h) profiling between 2005 and 2007 indicate strong NGT and a weak turbulent layer located at 12 - 14 km above sea level, associated with the tropopause region. During calm weather conditions, an additional layer was detected at 6 - 7 km above sea level. V(h) profiles suggest that the tropopause layer velocity is nominally 12 - 30 m/s, and that NGT velocities range from 2 m/s to over 20 m/s, dependent on weather. Little seasonal variation was detected in either Cn2(h) or V(h) profiles. The average coherence length, $r_0$, was found to be 12+-5 cm and 7+-1 cm for pupil-plane and generalised measurements respectively, for a wavelength of 589 nm. The average isoplanatic angle, $\theta_0$, was 1.5+-0.5 arcseconds and 1.1+-0.4 arcseconds for pupil-plane and generalised profiles respectively. No seasonal trends could be established in the measurements for the Greenwood frequency, $f_G$, due to gaps present in the V(h) profiles obtained. A modified Hufnagel-Valley (HV) model was developed to describe the Cn2(h) profiles at MJUO. The estimated $r_0$ from the model is 6 cm for a wavelength of 589 nm, corresponding to an uncompensated angular resolution, $\theta_{res}$, of 2.5 arcseconds. $\theta_0$ is 0.9 arcseconds. A series of V(h) models were developed, based on the Greenwood wind model with an additional Gaussian peak located at low altitudes, to encompass the various V(h) profiles seen at MJUO. Using the modified HV model for Cn2(h) profiles and the suggested model for V(h) profiles in the presence of moderate ground wind speeds, $f_G$ is estimated at 79 Hz. The Tyler frequency, $f_T$, is estimated at 11 Hz. Due to financial considerations, it is suggested that the initial AO design for MJUO focuses on the correction of tip/tilt only, utilising self-guiding, as it is unlikely that any suitable guide stars would be sufficiently close to the science object. The low $f_T$ suggests that an AO system with a bandwidth in the order of 60 Hz would be adequate for tip/tilt correction.

Astronomical images taken by ground-based telescopes are subject to aberrations induced by the Earth's atmosphere. Adaptive optics (AO) provides a real-time solution to compensate for aberrated wavefronts. The University of Canterbury would like to install an AO system on the 1-m McLellan telescope at Mount John University Observatory (MJUO). The research presented in this thesis is the first step towards this goal. To design an effective AO system it is important to understand the characteristics of the optical turbulence present at a site. Scintillation detection and ranging (SCIDAR) is a remote sensing method capable of measuring the refractive index structure constant, Cn2(h), and the wind velocity profile, V(h). The dominant near ground turbulence (NGT) at MJUO required the use of both pupil-plane and generalised SCIDAR. A purpose-built SCIDAR system was designed and constructed at low cost, using primarily off-the-shelf components. UC-SCIDAR saw first light at MJUO in 2003, and has since undergone several revisions. The current version employs two channels for simultaneous pupil-plane and generalised SCIDAR measurements, and is very portable. Through the use of a different mounting plate the system could be easily placed onto any telescope. Cn2(h) profiling utilised standard analysis techniques. V(h) profiling using data from a 1-m telescope is not common, and existing analysis techniques were extended to provide meaningful V(h) profiles, via the use of partial triplet analysis. Cn2(h) profiling between 2005 and 2007 indicate strong NGT and a weak turbulent layer located at 12 - 14 km above sea level, associated with the tropopause region. During calm weather conditions, an additional layer was detected at 6 - 7 km above sea level. V(h) profiles suggest that the tropopause layer velocity is nominally 12 - 30 m/s, and that NGT velocities range from 2 m/s to over 20 m/s, dependent on weather. Little seasonal variation was detected in either Cn2(h) or V(h) profiles. The average coherence length, $r_0$, was found to be 12+-5 cm and 7+-1 cm for pupil-plane and generalised measurements respectively, for a wavelength of 589 nm. The average isoplanatic angle, $\theta_0$, was 1.5+-0.5 arcseconds and 1.1+-0.4 arcseconds for pupil-plane and generalised profiles respectively. No seasonal trends could be established in the measurements for the Greenwood frequency, $f_G$, due to gaps present in the V(h) profiles obtained. A modified Hufnagel-Valley (HV) model was developed to describe the Cn2(h) profiles at MJUO. The estimated $r_0$ from the model is 6 cm for a wavelength of 589 nm, corresponding to an uncompensated angular resolution, $\theta_{res}$, of 2.5 arcseconds. $\theta_0$ is 0.9 arcseconds. A series of V(h) models were developed, based on the Greenwood wind model with an additional Gaussian peak located at low altitudes, to encompass the various V(h) profiles seen at MJUO. Using the modified HV model for Cn2(h) profiles and the suggested model for V(h) profiles in the presence of moderate ground wind speeds, $f_G$ is estimated at 79 Hz. The Tyler frequency, $f_T$, is estimated at 11 Hz. Due to financial considerations, it is suggested that the initial AO design for MJUO focuses on the correction of tip/tilt only, utilising self-guiding, as it is unlikely that any suitable guide stars would be sufficiently close to the science object. The low $f_T$ suggests that an AO system with a bandwidth in the order of 60 Hz would be adequate for tip/tilt correction.

Modern space geodetic techniques are required to provide measurements of millimetre-level accuracy. A new fundamental space geodetic observatory for South Africa has been proposed. It will house state-of-the-art equipment in a location that guarantees optimal scientific output. Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR) is one of the space geodetic techniques to be hosted on-site. This technique requires optical (or so-called astronomical) seeing conditions, which allow for the propagation of a laser beam through the atmosphere without excessive beam degradation. The seeing must be at ~ 1 arc second resolution level for LLR to deliver usable ranging data. To establish the LLR system at the most suitable site and most suitable on-site location, site characterisation should include a description of the optical seeing conditions. Atmospheric turbulence in the planetary boundary layer (PBL) contributes significantly to the degradation of optical seeing quality. To evaluate astronomical seeing conditions at a site, a two-sided approach is considered – on the one hand, the use of a turbulence-resolving numerical model, the Large Eddy Simulation NERSC (Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Centre) Improved Code (LESNIC) to simulate seeing results, while, on the other hand, obtaining quantitative seeing measurements with a seeing monitor that has been developed in-house. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology / MSc / Unrestricted

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The focus of this thesis is the dynamical behaviour of linear arrays of laser oscillators with nearest-neighbour coupling. In particular, we study how laser dynamics are influenced by laser-coupling strength, $\kappa$, the natural frequencies of the uncoupled lasers, $\tilde{\Omega}_j$, and the coupling between the magnitude and phase of each lasers electric field, $\alpha$. Equivariant bifurcation analysis, combined with Lyapunov exponent calculations, is used to study different aspects of the laser dynamics. Firstly, codimension-one and -two bifurcations of relative equilibria determine the laser coupling conditions required to achieve stable phase locking. Furthermore, we find that global bifurcations and their associated infinite cascades of local bifurcations are responsible for interesting locking-unlocking transitions. Secondly, for large $\alpha$, vast regions of the parameter space are found to support chaotic dynamics. We explain this phenomenon through simulations of $\alpha$-induced stretching-and-folding of the phase space that is responsible for the creation of horseshoes. A comparison between the results of a simple {\it coupled-laser model} and a more accurate {\it composite-cavity mode model} reveals a good agreement, which further supports the use of the simpler model to study coupling-induced instabilities in laser arrays. Finally, synchronisation properties of the laser array are studied. Laser coupling conditions are derived that guarantee the existence of synchronised solutions where all the lasers emit light with the same frequency and intensity. Analytical stability conditions are obtained for two special cases of such laser synchronisation: (i) where all the lasers oscillate in-phase with each other and (ii) where each laser oscillates in anti-phase with its direct neighbours. Transitions from complete synchronisation (where all the lasers synchronise) to optical turbulence (where no lasers synchronise and each laser is chaotic in time) are studied and explained through symmetry breaking bifurcations. Lastly, the effect of increasing the number of lasers in the array is discussed in relation to persistent optical turbulence.

The optical turbulence, which creates perturbations of the wavefronts coming from the stars, is caused by small-scale fluctuations in the index of refraction of the atmosphere and is a problem for astronomers because it limits the maximum resolution of the ground-based telescopes. One way of identifying the best sites to build astronomical observatories, where the influence of the optical turbulence is as small as possible, is to use the standard meteorological parameters to get a first idea of the potential of a site. In the first part of this thesis the three sites on the Internal Antarctic Plateau that are the most interesting for astronomers (Dome A, Dome C and the South Pole) are investigated using the operational analyses of the ECMWF and a ranking of these three sites is presented. The second part of this thesis focuses on the ability of the mesoscale model Meso-NH to simulate the optical turbulence as well as the wind speed at Mt Graham (AZ, USA). A rich sample of measurements of the vertical distribution of the optical turbulence, the largest sample used in this type of study so far, is used to calibrate the Meso-NH model and to quantify its ability to simulate the optical turbulence. The measurements are distributed over different periods of the year thus making it possible to evaluate the performance of the model in different seasons. Both the vertical distribution of the optical turbulence and the astroclimatic parameters (seeing, wavefront coherence time and isoplanatic angle) are investigated. / Felaktigt tryckt som Digital Comprehensive Summaries of Uppsala Dissertations from the Faculty of Science and Technology 708

La turbulence optique et son impact sur les images obtenues à partir d'instruments de mesure est un phénomène connu dans le domaine de l'astronomie. Des modèles issus de la théorie de Kolmogorov, développée pour une turbulence dynamique, ainsi que des méthodes de correction, telles que l'optique adaptative, existent pour l'analyse et la compensation des effets de cette turbulence optique. L'analyse de cette dernière dans les milieux confinés est cependant plus limitée. Les sources susceptibles de générer une turbulence optique dans ces espaces sont pourtant multiples et peuvent avoir un impact non négligeable sur les mesures des instruments installés à proximité. Ce mémoire constitue une première approche de la caractérisation de la turbulence optique dans un espace confiné. Après l'introduction des phénomènes étudiés et des outils mathématiques employés, ce mémoire présente les résultats issus d'analyses de coupoles de télescopes et de caractérisations de salles blanches employées par l'entreprise Thales Alenia Space pour l'intégration et le test d'instruments optiques. Ces résultats sont obtenus avec l'instrument INTENSE, développé durant la thèse pour la caractérisation de la turbulence optique locale via la mesure des fluctuations des angles d'arrivée de multiples faisceaux lasers. En prévision de futurs améliorations de l'analyse de la turbulence en espace confiné, un chapitre du mémoire est dédié aux travaux réalisés sur une méthode d'extraction du profil de l'énergie de la turbulence et à son application sur l'instrument INTENSE. Les conclusions et les perspectives des travaux réalisés pendant la thèse sont présentées à la fin du mémoire. / Optical turbulence and its impact on measured images is a well-known phenomenon in astronomy. Models based on the Kolmogorov theory, elaborated for a dynamical turbulence description, and methods, such as Adaptive Optics, were both developed so as to understand and correct the degradations caused by this turbulence. Analysis of the same phenomenon in indoor situation was however less investigated. The local air volume is nonetheless prone to optical perturbations sources which could have non negligible impacts on the measurements of instruments installed at proximity. This document introduces a first approach of indoor optical turbulence characterization. After the introduction of the studied phenomenon and the mathematical tools employed, this thesis present optical turbulence characterizations inside Thales Alenia Space clean rooms used for optical instrument integration and testing. Analyses inside telescope domes are also shown in this document. All the results were obtained using the INTENSE instrument which was developed during the thesis for optical turbulence characterizations using angle of arrival fluctuations of laser beams. In anticipation for future ameliorations of optical turbulence analysis methods, a chapter of this thesis is dedicated to the work made on a turbulence energy profile extraction and its application on the INTENSE instrument. Conclusions and perspectives of the work made during this thesis are presented at the end of the document.