Statistics of irradiance scattered from a diffuse target containing multiple glints

Abstract

The study of the statistical effects of atmospheric turbulence on coherent radiation scattered from a diffuse target is extended, both theoretically and experimentally, to include the effects of target glint. Theoretically, expressions are developed for the first- and second-order moments of irradiance for targets containing multiple glints. The expression for the normalized variance of irradiance for a diffuse target with a single glint illuminated by a coherent source over a horizontal atmospheric path is evaluated numerically for comparison with experimental results. Experimental measurements of both the variance and covariance of irradiance for a coherent source illuminating a diffuse target containing a single glint are presented.