Atmospheric turbulence profiling with the Laser Communication Relay Demonstration experiment and RINGSS at Table Mountain Facility, California

Adaptive optics has been used to mitigate the impact of atmospheric turbulence on laser propagation through the atmosphere, and to restore diffraction limited imaging to large optical apertures. Understanding the turbulence characteristics of a particular site enables an optimised adaptive optics design. We present a novel turbulence profiling technique: a Ring Image Next Generation Scintillation Sensor (RINGSS), adapted for infrared wavelengths can measure both integrated turbulence and the profile. We report on results from a deployed system at the NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Table Mountain Facility. The downlink from the Laser Communication Relay Demonstration (LCRD) geostationary spacecraft terminal as a reference for atmospheric turbulence profiling. LCRD beam allows for high signal-to-noise at all times of day and night through the same atmospheric channel as the optical ground station conducting the link. The RINGSS measurement technique is robust even in strong daytime turbulence with comparison to other instruments. This demonstrates the utility of RINGSS for turbulence profiling could be effectively used to design effective adaptive optics for 24 hour operations.