Transport-based model for turbulence-corrupted imagery

Abstract

A new model for turbulence-corrupted imagery is proposed based on the theory of optimal mass transport. By describing the relationship between photon density and the phase of the traveling wave, and combining it with a least action principle, the model suggests a new class of methods for approximately recovering the solution of the photon density flow created by a turbulent atmosphere. Both coherent and incoherent imagery are used to validate and compare the model to other methods typically used to describe this type of data. Given its superior performance in describing experimental data, the new model suggests new algorithms for a variety of atmospheric imaging and wave propagation applications.