General Theory of Light Propagation and Imaging Through the Atmosphere

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This 2nd edition lays out an updated version of the general theory of light propagation and imaging through Earth¿s turbulent atmosphere initially developed in the late `70s and `80s, with additional applications in the areas of laser communications and high-energy laser beam propagation. New material includes a chapter providing a comprehensive mathematical tool set for precisely characterizing image formation with the anticipated Extremely Large Telescopes (ELTS), enabling a staggering range of star image shapes and sizes, existing chapters rewritten or modified so as to supplement the mathematics with clearer physical insight through written and graphical means, a history of the development of present-day understanding of light propagation and imaging through the atmosphere as represented by the general theory described. Beginning with the rudimentary, geometrical-optics based understanding of a century ago, it describes advances made in the 1960s, including the development of the `Kolmogorov theory, ¿ the deficiencies  of which undermined its credibility, but not before it had done enormous damage, such as construction of a generation of underperforming `light bucket¿ telescopes. The general theory requires no a priori turbulence assumptions. Instead, it provides means for calculating the turbulence properties directly from readily-measurable properties of star images.