Optical Turbulence group

The Optical Turbulence group is actively engaged in research studies concerning the propagation of electromagnetic fields through turbulent media and, in particular, the atmospheric turbulence in application to the high angular resolution techniques: adaptive optics and interferometry. The atmospheric turbulence is, indeed, the principal cause of deformation of the wavefronts coming from the astronomical observed objects that produces a loss of spatial and angular resolution as well as stochastic fluctuations of the illumination intensity of the image at the focus of telescopes. The main expertise of the group concerns the optical turbulence forecast with non-hydrostatic atmospherical models, site testing, instrumentation for optical turbulence measurements, turbulence in stable and very stable regimes.

The group has been involved in projects applied to sites of telescopes of class 8-10 m (LBT, VLT), new generation telescopes of class 30-40 m (E-ELT) and sites for the astrophysics located in extremes regions  such as Antartide.

The Adaptive Optics and Optical Turbulence groups are part of the research pole of "High angular resolution techniques for ground-based observations" of the Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory.

Team members (alphabetic order)

Former Team Members (alphabetic order)

Susanna Hagelin
Franck Lascaux
Jeff Stoesz

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