Aero-optical effects, part I. System-level considerations: tutorial

• DOI: 10.1364/opticaopen.26142928
• Publication Date: 2024-07-02T10:15:36Z
• Authors: Mark Spencer; Matthew Kalensky; Stanislav Gordeyev; Matthew Kemnetz

This paper serves as Part I of a two-part tutorial on ``aero-optical effects.'' We first present background information to assist with our introduction the topic. Next, we use aerodynamic environment associated hemisphere-on-cylinder beam director decompose resulting aberrations (that arise due aero-optical effects) in terms piston, tilt, and higher-order phase errors. also discuss performance implications that these errors have airborne-laser systems. Recognizing complexity environments, then how one measures using standard wavefront-sensing approaches impact imaging performance. These system-level considerations provide material needed survey several sources such boundary layers shear layers, well mechanical contamination, shock waves, aero acoustics---all which cover II this tutorial.