Seeing Clearly: The Measurement and Impacts of Atmospheric Turbulence and Refractivity on the Propagation of Extraterrestrial Radiation

University Of Hawaii, Honolulu

Investigators

Abstract

This project will support development and publication of a textbook entitled "Seeing Clearly: The Measurement and Impacts of Atmospheric Turbulence and Refractivity on the Propagation of Extraterrestrial Radiation." The text, with chapter contributions from acknowledged leaders in an array of relevant fields, will serve as a lasting resource for scientists and graduate-level students seeking a fundamental understanding of the impacts of atmospheric turbulence on Earth-based optical astronomy. It will draw upon input gained at the first Symposium on Seeing (SOS) held in 2007. The intellectual merit of this effort derives from an enriched interdisciplinary exchange that should support further advances in optimal development application of adaptive optics based upon a fuller knowledge of turbulent behavior of the atmospheric medium. Broader impacts will come through education and dissemination of key information needed to mitigate turbulence-generated interference with clear astronomical measurements. Efforts to reach a diverse readership will be enhanced development of a relatively low-cost web-based version of the text whose availability will be broadly advertised across the meteorological and astronomical communities.