Daytime Atmospheric Turbulence Intensity and Distribution at the Fuxian Lack Solar Observatory During Winter

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Authors: Xian Ran, Lanqiang Zhang, Hua Bao, Dmitrii Y. Kolobov, Vladimir Petrovich Lukin, Changhui Rao
Cited by: 1
References: 34

Abstract

Atmospheric turbulence is a critical factor limiting the imaging resolution of ground-based solar telescopes. This study presents a systematic investigation of the intensity and vertical distribution of daytime atmospheric turbulence during winter at the Fuxian Solar Observatory, using data acquired from the 1-meter New Vacuum Solar Telescope (NVST) with its Ground Layer Adaptive Optics (GLAO) system and a custom-developed wide-field Shack–Hartmann wavefront sensor. Statistical results reveal a median Fried parameter (r0) of 8.25 cm at 500 nm, indicating generally favorable daytime observing conditions. A distinct diurnal variation in r0 was observed: values were higher in the morning and afternoon but decreased significantly around noon due to enhanced ground-layer heating. Vertical turbulence profiling showed that approximately 52.8% of the total turbulence strength originates from the ground layer, and 93.1% is confined below 4 km, with only weak turbulence detected at higher altitudes. This study establishes the first statistical turbulence profile model for the Fuxian Solar Observatory site during winter daytime, providing crucial insights for optimizing high-resolution solar observations and the design of multi-conjugate adaptive optics systems.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Adaptive optics and wavefront sensing Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics Optical Wireless Communication Technologies

Publication details

Journal / source
Atmosphere
Publisher
MDPI AG
Volume
17
Issue
3
Pages
254–254
Publication date
28 February 2026
Language
EN