Experimental evidence for spatial stabilization of deep-turbulence-induced anisoplanatic blur

We present field-experiment support for the feasibility of post-detection restoration when imaging through deep turbulence characterized by extreme anisoplanatism. Short-exposure images of point-like and minimally extended objects (MEOs) were collected, viewed through a 5.1-kilometer atmospheric path producing isoplanatic angles roughly 1/15 h he camera diffraction-limited angular resolution. A correlation-based isoplanatic angle measurement technique is presented along with data verifying deep-turbulence conditions. In agreement with prior wave-optics simulations, the experiments demonstrate short-exposure images of MEOs retain a central lobe that is clearly narrower than the long-exposure counterpart, even in the presence of severe anisoplanatism. New simulations are presented to provide direct comparison with measurements of point-like and MEO image central lobe radius statistics.