Optika Atmosfery i Okeana Journal

Vol. 39, issue 10, article # 10

Bol'basova L. A., Ermakov S. A., Lukin V. P. Numerical modeling of the pulsed sodium laser guide star for the conditions of the mid-latitude atmosphere of the Russian Federation. // Optika Atmosfery i Okeana. 2026. V. 39. No. 10. P. 900–904. DOI: 10.15372/AOO20261010 [in Russian].
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Abstract:

The resolution of ground-based optical telescopes is limited by the turbulent atmosphere of the Earth. Telescopes are equipped with adaptive optics using a laser guide star for solution this problem. Selecting the optimal parameters of a laser for artificial star in the sodium layer of the atmosphere is one of the challenges in designing adaptive optics systems for ground-based telescopes. The laser guide star generation system, like the entire adaptive optics system, is largely designed for the specific atmospheric conditions of the telescope's location. The results of numerical modeling of the return photon flux from a sodium laser guide star generated by pulsed laser for mid-latitude atmospheric conditions in the Russian Federation are presented. Various laser pulse formats are compared based on the numerical modeling results.

Keywords:

laser guide star, adaptive optics, atmospheric turbulence, pulse laser

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