Title

Precision Pointing And Tracking Through Random Media By Exploitation Of The Enhanced Backscatter Phenomenon

Keywords

Enhanced backscatter; Precision pointing and tracking; Reciprocal path scattering

Abstract

The active illumination of a target through a turbulent medium with a monostatic transmitter-receiver results in a naturally occurring conjugate wave caused by reciprocal scattering paths that experience identical phase variations. This reciprocal path-scattering phenomenon produces an enhanced backscatter in the retroverse direction (precisely along the boresight of the pointing telescope). A dual aperture causes this intensity enhancement to take the form of Young’s interference fringes. Interference fringes produced by the reciprocal path-scattering phenomenon are temporally stable even in the presence of time-varying turbulence. Choosing the width-to-separation ratio of the dual apertures appropriately and utilizing orthogonal polarizations to suppress the time-varying commonpath scattered radiation allow one to achieve interferometric sensitivity in pointing accuracy through a random medium or turbulent atmosphere. Computer simulations are compared with laboratory experimental data. This new precision pointing and tracking technique has potential applications in ground-to-space laser communications, laser power beaming to satellites, and theater missile defense scenarios. © 1996 Optical Society of America.

Publication Date

7-20-1996

Publication Title

Applied Optics

Volume

35

Issue

21

Number of Pages

4220-4228

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1364/AO.35.004220

Socpus ID

6044267963 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/6044267963

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