Url	http://www.cimne.com/webcimne/sigpro/Ficha.aspx?id=592
Acronym	SODDAT (2012)
Project title	Simulación numérica de la distorsión óptica debida a la turbulencia atmósferica
Reference	AYA2012-33490
Principal investigator	Joan BAIGES AZNAR - jbaiges@cimne.upc.edu
Start date	01/01/2013	End date	31/12/2015
Coordinator	CIMNE
Consortium members
Program	LIA2. Proy.I+D: Investigación Fundamental	Call	Investigación Fundamental no Orientada 2012
Subprogram	Investigación Fundamental No Orientada	Category	Nacional
Funding body(ies)	MINECO	Grant	84.240,00 €
Abstract	The main objective of this proposal is to design a numerical simulation model to estimate the distortion experienced by electromagnetic waves when passing through a turbulent atmosphere. In particular, the targeted problems are the calculation of the optical distortion of light beams arriving at a telescope from the far universe and the distortion of laser rays used to locate the position and determine velocities of moving objects. The effect of turbulence in the atmosphere on the distortion of electromagnetic rays is due to point-to-point changes in the refractive index, leading to continuous changes in the direction of the ray. The problem arises when different rays forming a wave front enter a medium with variable refractive index. The variability of this index causes the different rays to refract in a different way, thus leading to wave front distortion and deterioration in the quality of the reception of the electromagnetic ray. Air turbulence fluctuations are precisely responsible for the variability of the refractive index. This constitutes the link between turbulence and electromagnetic wave distortion, in particular optical deterioration. The two building blocks of the model to be designed are turbulence simulation and the correlation between flow variables and optical parameters. Physical models aiming at representing these phenomena need to be approximated numerically to be able to predict optical distortion, the objective of this proposal. Therefore, apart from presenting the description of the problem, we also describe the numerical developments that we propose to undertake during the duration of the project, ranging from basic developments in numerical analysis to the analysis of the application of the model to important technological problems, such as the determination of the optical quality around a telescope site or the correction of the distortion of a laser ray used to identify flying objects. The vast number of other possible applications is also described.