Demonstration of 24-hour continuous optical turbulence monitoring in a city

Abstract

Atmospheric optical turbulence limits the performance of free-space optical communication links between the ground and space. The bandwidth provided by optical links enables the realization of ubiquitous, high-bandwidth and secure communications anywhere on Earth. However, currently very little is known about the nature and dynamics of vertical optical turbulence in critical urban environments, close to data centers and users that require high-bandwidth connections. TURBO is a turbulence monitoring facility, based on the 24-hour Shack-Hartmann Image Motion Monitor (24hSHIMM) instrument, capable of measuring optical atmospheric turbulence 24-hours a day in stronger turbulence conditions. Here we show a demonstration of continuous turbulence monitoring in an urban environment for the first time in Barcelona, Spain. TURBO will be an autonomous monitor generating valuable data for the community.

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/T518001/1); UK Research and Innovation (MR/X015106/1); European Space Agency (4000140195/22/NL/MM/fm).

Peer Reviewed

Postprint (published version)