Optika Atmosfery i Okeana Journal

Vol. 38, issue 02, article # 10

Bobrovnikov S. M., Bol'basova L. A., Gorlov E. V., Zharkov V. I., Lukin V. P. Comparative analysis of the excitation scheme efficiency of resonance and cascade fluorescence of mesosphere atoms for the creation of laser guide stars. Part I. Potassium and nickel atoms. // Optika Atmosfery i Okeana. 2025. V. 38. No. 02. P. 152–156. DOI: 10.15372/AOO20250210 [in Russian].
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Abstract:

A laser guide star is an essential part of the adaptive optics system of a ground-based optical telescope. The main limitation of sodium laser guide stars, formed on the basis of the resonant fluorescence of mesospheric sodium atoms, is the low brightness of the LGS. To estimate a possibility of creating LGS based on the fluorescence of other metals in the mesosphere, the efficiency of excitation schemes for atoms of potassium and nickel are calculated. The relative backscattering flux of fluorescence for transitions of potassium and nickel atoms is calculated taking into account the content of the atoms in the mesosphere and the transmission of the atmosphere. The comparison with the results for sodium atoms is made. Our results can be used for the development of adaptive optics systems with artificial reference sources for ground-based telescopes and mesospheric lidars.

Keywords:

adaptive optics, laser guide star, fluorescence, mesosphere, lidar

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