Theoretical analysis of the angle-of-arrival fluctuations for optical wavext propagation through solar corona turbulence

Abstract

Optical communication is promising in deep space exploration, but there is the problem of angle-of-arrival fluctuations due to solar scintillation during superior solar conjunction. In this paper, an analytic expression of the angle-of-arrival fluctuations was derived for optical waves propagating through coronal environment by establishing a solar corona non-Kolmogorov turbulence spectrum model. The combined effects of the non-Kolmogorov spectral index, turbulent outer scale, wavelength, and antenna radius are evaluated. Results demonstrate that the spectral index and the turbulent outer scale obviously affect the angle-of-arrival fluctuations. Moreover, minimizing the wavelength and enlarging the receiver aperture can effectively mitigate the angle-of-arrival fluctuations caused by coronal turbulence. It is expected that this work will be beneficial for the investigation of coronal turbulence and deep space optical communication.