Measurements of optical turbulence in the free atmosphere above Mount Maidanak in 2005–2007

Abstract

We present the results of our 2005–2007 campaign to measure the vertical distribution of optical turbulence above Mount Maidanak. The measurements were performed with the MASS instrument, a multi-aperture scintillation sensor that has been widely used for such studies in recent years at many observatories worldwide. Analysis of the data shows that the median seeing in the free atmosphere (at an altitude of 0.5 km and higher) is 0 ″46, while the isoplanatic angle is 2″.47. Given the large time constant (about 7 ms at good seeing), such conditions are favorable for using adaptive optics and interferometric measurements in the visible and near-infrared spectral ranges.