Open AccessEffects of Kolmogorov turbulence on optical cavity spectral response
Author(s) -
Merlin L. Mah,
Joseph J. Talghader
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
applied optics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.668
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 2155-3165
pISSN - 1559-128X
DOI - 10.1364/ao.424293
Subject(s) - optics , physics , wavefront , turbulence , resonator , refractive index , refraction , atmospheric optics , mechanics
An aberrated wavefront incident upon an optical resonator will excite higher order spatial modes in the cavity, and the spectral width and distribution of these modes are indicative of the type and magnitude of the aberration. We apply this concept to atmospheric turbulence modeled by the Kolmogorov distribution. The spectral widths of the cavity transmission spectra are demonstrated via simulations to correspond to the structure constant that characterizes the variation in the optical index of refraction and thus the turbulence strength. Such a relationship can be harnessed to build a sensor for simply and quickly assessing optical turbulence strength.