Remote sensing of wind velocity and strength of refractive turbulence using a two-spatial-filter receiver.

Wind velocity across an optical path and refractive turbulence strength can be measured by observing a light source through the atmosphere with a receiver that contains two spatial filters. The frequency of the detected signal gives the transverse velocity of the turbulent structure, whereas signal intensity is proportional to refractive turbulence strength. The size of turbulent eddies that produce signals is determined by the optical setup. The position along the detector's field of view at which the measurement is made depends on the separation of the filters, and profiles can be made by varying the separation and using a telescope. The system requires longer integration times than one which uses a spatial filter at each end of the optical path, but it has the advantage of being able to use a natural source such as the Sun or a planet. An analysis of the system is presented along with numerical simulations and results from a short-range (several meters) laboratory experiment. The analysis assumes a single layer of refractive turbulence. Scales of the refractive turbulence in the inertial subrange from 5 to 20 cm will be of primary interest for this method.