We propose the design of a low-cost passive scintillometer that measures the strength of optical turbulence by analyzing scintillation in the image of a straight edge between the two areas of uniform, but distinct, brightness. Theory for scintillations variance is developed based on the rigorous path integral propagation model. We propose approximations that cover the most promising conditions for the passive scintillometer applications, and we describe the image processing technique that separates the target characteristics from the turbulence scintillations. Results of the proof-of-concept field experiment where images of the target were taken by a consumer grade camera equipped with an inexpensive telephoto lens are presented.

中文翻译：

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无源闪烁仪：理论和现场测量

我们提出了一种低成本无源闪烁仪的设计，它通过分析两个均匀但不同亮度区域之间的直边图像中的闪烁来测量光学湍流的强度。闪烁方差理论是在严格的路径积分传播模型的基础上发展起来的。我们提出了涵盖无源闪烁仪应用最有希望的条件的近似值，并且我们描述了将目标特征与湍流闪烁分开的图像处理技术。展示了概念验证现场实验的结果，其中目标的图像是由配备廉价长焦镜头的消费级相机拍摄的。