The Optical Heterodyne Detection in a Turbulent Atmosphere

It is well-known that atmospheric turbulence has a serious effect on optical heterodyne detection. However, the effect of the turbulent outer scale up to date has not an acknowledged view yet. Lutomirski and Yura [1] considered that the presence of a definite outer scale could increase the signal-to-noise ratio of heterodyne detection slightly. Clifford and Wandzura [2] indicated that the performance of a heterodyne lidar could be deteriorated with the outer scale. So it is still intrested to clarify the real action of the outer scale.