Distortion of light beam and correction of adaptive optics in the atmosphere

This article reviews the relation between spatial-temporal characteristic of atmospheric perturbation and several parameters of adaptive optics system. The altitude profile models of atmospheric turbulence intensity and turbulent outer scale, as well as wind velocity, are presented. Based on these models the transverse coherence length, the isoplanatic angle, and the critical time constant are calculated. Some properties of which are indicated. The internal errors of an adaptive optics system are discussed. The typical value of each error is presented. Lastly, the Strehl ratio of an adaptive optics system is considered.