The effects of atmospheric turbulence on astrophysical observations

Abstract

Atmospheric turbulence is caused by random variations in temperature and pressure that spatially and temporally alter the air’s index of refraction. As electro-magnetic radiation from distant astronomical objects propagates through the atmosphere, the waves of light are distorted by these fluctuations in the refractive index and the information stored in the wavefront is corrupted. For astronomers, this loss of information manifests as degradation in the angular resolution that can be achieved with a ground-based telescope.