Enhanced backscatter of optical beams reflected in turbulent air

TL;DR

This paper investigates the phenomenon of enhanced backscatter (EBS) of optical beams reflected in turbulent air, combining experiments and simulations to identify conditions for optimal EBS observation.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive study of EBS in turbulent air, highlighting regimes where EBS is most prominent through experimental and simulation analysis.

Findings

EBS occurs under specific turbulence regimes.

Reflected beams from corner cubes and rough surfaces show distinct EBS.

Optimal conditions for observing EBS are identified.

Abstract

Optical beams propagating through air acquire phase distortions from turbulent fluctuations in the refractive index. While these distortions are usually deleterious to propagation, beams reflected in a turbulent medium can undergo a local recovery of spatial coherence and intensity enhancement referred to as enhanced backscatter (EBS). Using a combination of lab-scale experiments and simulations, we investigate the EBS of optical beams reflected from corner cubes and rough surfaces, and identify the regimes in which EBS is most distinctly observed.