Abstract
Simulations of waves through three-dimensional turbulence with inner scale have been performed. Simulations of point source and plane wave initial conditions show substantial differences, which are amplified if an inner scale is introduced into the turbulent spectrum. The results are in reasonable agreement with the results of laser propagation over kilometer-length paths in the atmosphere. The intensity patterns of the waves emerging from a turbulent medium with large inner scale show striking networks of caustics. If the small-scale tail of the turbulence spectrum is present, the large-scale caustic networks are diffused and less clear, but they are still present. The long tail of the probability density function at high intensity is precisely determined in the simulations, up to fifty times the mean intensity. Physical explanations for this long tail will be discussed. The behavior of the probability density function at very small intensity (fades) is also well determined, and this behavior puts important constraints on theoretical treatments. It is suggested that simulating impulse response (pulse propagation) rather than single-frequency propagation will elucídate some fundamental characteristics of waves through turbulence.
© 1991 Optical Society of America
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