Quality of optical imaging and the outer scale of atmospheric turbulence

We analyze the influence of the outer scale of atmospheric turbulence on the quality of optical imaging using the method of moments as applied to the optical transfer function of the "turbulent atmosphere-telescope" system when an averaged image of an incoherent optical source is recorded. The behavior of the integral resolution and three types of limiting values of the spatial scales resolvable by the optical imaging system and determined by the moments of the zero, second, fourth, and sixth orders are analyzed as well. It is shown that the influence of the outer scale of atmospheric turbulence can manifest itself only at small values of the variance of fluctuations of the complex phase of a plane optical wave. (C) 2012 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). [DOI: 10.1117/1.OE.51.10.101711]