LOLAS-2 : redesign of an optical turbulence profiler

TL;DR

LOLAS-2 is an improved optical turbulence profiler that offers higher altitude-resolution and greater robustness, simplifying the design while maintaining precise measurements of near-ground atmospheric turbulence.

Contribution

The paper introduces LOLAS-2, a significantly simplified and more robust version of the Low Layer Scidar, achieving the highest altitude-resolution to date for turbulence profiling.

Findings

Achieved 6.3 m altitude-resolution in turbulence profiles.

Lacked need for autoguiding and autofocus in LOLAS-2.

Demonstrated improved mechanical stability and optical design.

Abstract

We present the development, tests and first results of the second generation Low Layer Scidar (LOLAS-2). This instrument constitutes a strongly improved version of the prototype Low Layer Scidar, which is aimed at the measurement of optical turbulence profiles close to the ground, with high altitude-resolution. The method is based on the Generalised Scidar principle which consists in taking double-star scintillation images on a defocused pupil plane and calculating in real time the autocovariance of the scintillation. The main components are an open-truss 40-cm Ritchey-Chr\'etien telescope, a german-type equatorial mount, an Electron Multiplying CCD camera and a dedicated acquisition and real-time data processing software. The new optical design of LOLAS-2 is significantly simplified compared with the prototype. The experiments carried out to test the permanence of the image within the useful zone of the detector and the stability of the telescope focus show that LOLAS-2 can function without the use of the autoguiding and autofocus algorithms that were developed for the prototype version. Optical turbulence profiles obtained with the new Low Layer Scidar have the best altitude-resolution ever achieved with Scidar-like techniques (6.3 m). The simplification of the optical layout and the improved mechanical properties of the telescope and mount make of LOLAS-2 a more robust instrument.