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09/25/01 Colloquium
DR. LARRY C. ANDREWS
DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA
DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA
Laser Propagation: A Pertubation Approach
Abstract: For many years astronomers have been concerned with the problems of star twinkle and "image dancing," the latter occuring in the focal plane of a telescope. Since 1960, scientists other than astronomers have been concerned with similar problems associated with a propagating laser beam. In this talk we discuss some basic mathematical models that have been useful in the analysis of optical wave propagation through the atmosphere. The governing equation for the optical field is the stochastic wave equation, which can be solved through a perturbation technique known as the Rytov approximation. We illustrate the Rytov approximation as it applies to a simple optical wave model and use it along with the method of cumulants to calculate the intensity fluctuations (similar to "star twinkle") of the wave.
