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arXiv · 1402.4295

First on-sky results of the CO-SLIDAR Cn2 profiler

Juliette Voyez·Clélia Robert·Jean-Marc Conan·Laurent M. Mugnier·Etienne Samain·Aziz Ziad
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Abstract

COupled SLope and scIntillation Detection And Ranging (CO-SLIDAR) is a recent profiling method of the vertical distribution of atmospheric turbulence strength ($C_n^2$ profile). It takes advantage of correlations of slopes and of scintillation, both measured with a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor on a binary star. In this paper, we present the improved CO-SLIDAR reconstruction method of the $C_n^2$ profile and the first on-sky results of the CO-SLIDAR profiler. We examine CO-SLIDAR latest performance in simulation, taking into account the detection noise bias and estimating error bars along with the turbulence profile. The estimated $C_n^2$ profiles demonstrate the accuracy of the CO-SLIDAR method, showing sensitivity to both low and high altitude turbulent layers. CO-SLIDAR is tested on-sky for the first time, on the $1.5$~m MeO (M\'etrologie Optique) telescope at Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur (France). The reconstructed profiles are compared to turbulence profiles estimated from meteorological data and a good agreement is found. We discuss CO-SLIDAR's contribution in the $C_n^2$ profilers' landscape and we propose some improvements of the instrument.

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Juliette Voyez, Clélia Robert, Jean-Marc Conan, Laurent M. Mugnier, Etienne Samain, Aziz Ziad. 2014-02-18. First on-sky results of the CO-SLIDAR Cn2 profiler. https://doi.org/10.1364/oe.22.010948

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