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We describe a technique for measuring path-averaged rain parameters by analyzing the rainfall-induced scintillations of a laser beam. From the time-lagged covariance function of two vertically spaced line detectors, we determine the average rainfall rate and drop-size distribution along the optical path. This technique requires no prior assumption of the form of the drop-size distribution. Sample measurements on a 140-m path confirm that the path-averaged drop-size distribution of a steady rain follows a Marshall-Palmer distribution. The optically measured path-averaged rain rate also shows good agreement with conventional tipping-bucket rain-gauge data.

The dependence of fluctuations in atmospheric absorption and refraction upon fluctuations in temperature, humidity, and pressure is found for infrared frequencies. This dependence has contributions from line and continuum absorption and from anomalous refraction by water vapor. The functions that relate these fluctuations are necessary for evaluating degradation of electromagnetic radiation by turbulence. They are computed for a given choice of mean atmospheric conditions and graphed as functions of frequency in the wavelength range 5.7 μm to radio waves. It is found that turbulent fluctuations in total pressure give a negligible contribution to absorption and refraction fluctuations. Humidity fluctuations dominate absorption fluctuations, but contributions by temperature and humidity affect refraction fluctuations. Sufficiently strong humidity fluctuations can dominate the refraction fluctuations for some infrared frequencies but not for visible frequencies. We examine the variance of log amplitude for scintillation of infrared light to determine whether absorption or refraction fluctuations dominate under several conditions.

We have shown that path-averaged rain rates can be obtained from the raindrop-induced amplitude scintillations of a divergent laser beam (spherical wave case). We found that the rain rate obtained from a divergent beam is less sensitive to drop-size distribution than that from a collimated beam. However, the path-weighting function is heavily weighted toward the receiving end in the spherical wave case, whereas in the plane wave case, it is almost uniformly weighted along the optical path. The theory was confirmed by observations on two optical paths, one using a collimated beam on a 200-m path, the other using a divergent beam on a 1000-m path. The results for the longer path show a saturation effect for rain rates higher than 12 mm/h.

Various methods of correlation analysis that have been used to deduce crosswind from a drifting scintillation pattern are briefly described and then compared with regard to their immunity to noise and their accuracy when faced with nonuniformities along the propagation path or changes in the characteristics of the turbulence. Of the techniques considered, none is ideal; but a new technique, using complete knowledge of the cross-covariance function, proves to be advantageous in a wide variety of situations.

It has previously been shown that the scintillations produced by raindrops falling through a collimated laser beam can be used to measure the drop-size distribution and the rainfall rate, both averaged over the path. We now present a theoretical analysis, verified by observation, showing that the variance of the scintillations detected by a line-detector measured at frequencies near 1 kHz is closely related to rain rate and is nearly independent of drop-size distribution. If only rain rate is desired, the variance type of optical rain gauge has several advantages over the earlier model. It could use a diverging beam, thus eliminating the practical difficulties of maintaining adjustment and pointing of a collimated beam. Furthermore, it is less sensitive to the presence of updrafts and downdrafts along the beam and can thus be used over rough terrain.

Stellar scintillations, when appropriately analyzed, yield information about the turbulence throughout the atmosphere. We describe an instrument involving a 36-cm telescope and an on-line minicomputer that provides, after 20 min of observation, the refractive-turbulence profile of the atmosphere. The height resolution is sufficient to divide the atmosphere into about four independent regions. The principal limitation to greater accuracy and resolution is the nonstationary behavior of the atmosphere during the 20-min observing period.

We report the successful construction and testing of an optical wind sensor that uses the motion of the scintillation pattern to measure the transverse component of wind blowing across a laser beam. As is done for measuring ionospheric and interplanetary winds, we use a correlation method. However, in our application, the slope at zero lag of the time-lagged correlogram proves to be more useful than the more commonly used delay to the peak. The reason is that, in the atmosphere, irregularities are distributed along the entire propagation path. We use a detector spacing of 0.33 of the diameter of the first Fresnel zone to obtain a nearly uniform weighting function along the path, though the center of the path is still more effective than the ends. The sensor has been used extensively over 1-km and 15-km paths, and field tests of various applications are planned.

The diffraction theory of optical scintillations has so far failed to describe the propagation of light over paths where the integrated amount of refractive-index turbulence is sufficient to cause saturation of the scintillations. We present a simple, physically based elaboration of the first-order perturbation theory and compare it with observations. Our theory reproduces in detail the observed saturation curve and the observed spatial covariance of the scintillations. In particular, we show why the fine-scale structure of scintillations persists deep into the saturation regime.