Atmospheric turbulence profiling using multiple adaptive optics wavefront sensors

The Slope Detection And Ranging (SloDAR) method recovers atmospheric turbulence profiles from the time averaged spatial cross-correlation of the wavefront slopes measured by Shack Hartmann wavefront sensors. We carried out numerical simulations of the SloDAR method before our experimental data were available as an aid to understanding the method. These simulation results are presented in this dissertation. The Palomar Multi-Guide Star Unit (MGSU) was set up to test tomographic multiple guide star adaptive optics and provided an ideal test bed for SloDAR turbulence altitude profiling. In this dissertation we present the data reduction methods and SloDAR results from MGSU observations made in 2006. Wind profiling was also performed using delayed delayed wavefront cross-correlations along with SloDAR analysis. The wind profiling analysis is shown to improve the height resolution of SloDAR method and in addition gives the wind velocity of the turbulent layers.