Optical Waves and Laser Beams in the Irregular Atmosphere

The book introduces optical wave propagation in the irregular turbulent atmosphere and the relations to laser beam and LIDAR applications for both optical communication and imaging. It examines atmosphere fundamentals, structure, and content. It explains specific situations occurring in the irregular atmosphere and for specific natural phenomena that affect optical ray and laser beam propagation. It emphasizes how to use LIDAR to investigate atmospheric phenomena and predict primary parameters of the irregular turbulent atmosphere and suggests what kinds of optical devices to operate in different atmospheric situations to minimize the deleterious effects of natural atmospheric phenomena.

Atmosphere Fundamentals. Basic Aspects of Optical Waves Propagation. Atmospheric Turbulence in the Anisotropic Boundary Layer. Nonlinear Propagation of Laser Radiation in the Atmosphere. Peculiarities of Propagation of Ultrashort Laser Pulses and Their Use in Atmospheric Sensing. Isoplanarity Problem in Vision Theory.

Nathan Blaunstein was born in Moldova, former USSR, in 1948. He received MS degrees in radio physics and electronics from Tomsk University, Tomsk, former Soviet Union, in 1972, and PhD and DS and professor degrees in radio physics and electronics from the Institute of Geomagnetism, Ionosphere, and Radiowave Propagation (IZMIR), Academy of Science USSR, Moscow, Russia, in 1985 and 1991, respectively. From 1979 to 1984, he was an engineer and a lecturer, and then, from 1984 to 1992, a senior scientist, an associate professor, and a professor at Moldavian University, Beltsy, Moldova. From 1993 he was a researcher of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and a visiting professor in the Wireless Cellular Communication Program at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel. Since April 2001, he has been an associate professor, and in 2005 – a full professor in the Department of Communication Systems Engineering. Dr. Blaunstein has published 10 books, 2 special chapters in handbooks on applied engineering and applied electrodynamics, 6 manuals, and over 190 articles in radio and optical physics, communication, and geophysics. His research interests include problems of radio and optical wave propagation, diffraction, reflection, and scattering in various media (sub-soil medium, terrestrial environments, troposphere, and ionosphere) for purposes of optical communication and radio and optical location, aircraft, mobile-satellite, and terrestrial wireless communications and networking.

N. S. Kopeika was born in Baltimore in 1944. Raised in Philadelphia, he received BS, MS, and PhD degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 1966, 1968, and 1972, respectively. He and his family moved to Israel, and he began his career at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in 1973. He chaired the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering for two terms (1989-1993) and was named Reuven and Francis Feinberg Profes