Scintillation effects on images by adaptive synthetic apertures in the atmosphere

Abstract

The effect of intensity fluctuations on images by synthetic apertures is investigated in the case when partial or total phase correction is achieved. A simple adaptive optics imaging system is constituted by a two hole aperture, illuminated by the field after the adaptive correction of the phase. The problem is therefore reduced to investigating Young’s interference pattern of two holes in a screen illuminated by a field with amplitude and phase fluctuations. In the case of perfect phase correction, of course, there are no phase fluctuations.