Demonstration of 24-hour continuous optical turbulence monitoring in a city

Beesley, L. F.; Griffiths, R.; Hartley, K.; Farley, O. J.D.; Quatresooz, F.; Rodríguez-Gómez, A.; Comerón, A.; Townson, M.; Alaluf, D.; Osborn, J.

Abstract

Atmospheric optical turbulence limits the performance of free-space optical communication links between the ground and space. The bandwidth provided by optical links enables the realization of ubiquitous, high-bandwidth and secure communications anywhere on Earth. However, currently very little is known about the nature and dynamics of vertical optical turbulence in critical urban environments, close to data centers and users that require high-bandwidth connections. TURBO is a turbulence monitoring facility, based on the 24-hour Shack-Hartmann Image Motion Monitor (24hSHIMM) instrument, capable of measuring optical atmospheric turbulence 24-hours a day in stronger turbulence conditions. Here we show a demonstration of continuous turbulence monitoring in an urban environment for the first time in Barcelona, Spain. TURBO will be an autonomous monitor generating valuable data for the community.

Citation

Beesley, L. F., Griffiths, R., Hartley, K., Farley, O. J., Quatresooz, F., Rodríguez-Gómez, A., Comerón, A., Townson, M., Alaluf, D., & Osborn, J. (2025). Demonstration of 24-hour continuous optical turbulence monitoring in a city. Optics Express, 33(5), 10140-10149. https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.543144

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 5, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Feb 27, 2025
• Publication Date: Mar 10, 2025
• Deposit Date: May 12, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: May 12, 2025
• Journal: Optics Express
• Electronic ISSN: 1094-4087
• Publisher: Optica
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 33
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 10140-10149
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.543144
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/3945720