Abstract

We demonstrate that the theories of strong irradiance fluctuations of Yura and Clifford et al., although they start from slightly different physical models, produce the same predictions for the behavior of an optical wave propagating through strong turbulence. Both theories predict a saturation of the irradiance variance and that in the saturation regime the amplitude correlation length is equal to the lateral coherence length of the optical wave. The detailed structure of the amplitude correlation functions is also similar, showing a more-rapid decay at the origin and an enhanced tail at large separations in comparison to the results of the weak scattering theory.

© 1974 Optical Society of America

Theory of saturation of optical scintillation by strong turbulence for arbitrary refractive-index spectra

R. J. Hill and S. F. Clifford
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 71(6) 675-686 (1981)

Supersaturation: Effect of a high-frequency cutoff on strong optical-scintillation measurements

H. T. Yura
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 64(9) 1211-1214 (1974)

Saturation of optical scintillation by strong turbulence*

S. F. Clifford, G. R. Ochs, and R. S. Lawrence
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 64(2) 148-154 (1974)

Physical model for strong optical-amplitude fluctuations in a turbulent medium

H. T. Yura
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 64(1) 59-67 (1974)

Irradiance fluctuations of a spherical wave propagating under saturation conditions*

H. T. Yura
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 64(11) 1526-1530 (1974)