Simulación de la propagación de la luz en la atmósfera mediante el uso de la óptica de rayos

Abstract

The aim of this project is to develop a MATLAB®-based code in which the propagation of light rays in the Earth's atmosphere is carried out by analysing the effect of different parameters and meteorological conditions on the refractive index. The code has been applied to study some cases of sightings of the island of Mallorca from the Fabra Observatory in Barcelona. For this purpose, observational data corresponding to the 24th, 25th, 26th and 27th July 2019 and various atmospheric parameters such as temperature, pressure, air density and relative humidity have been considered. The developed code uses the Edlén equation to calculate the refractive indices over the whole fraction of the atmosphere considered, in which the propagation of light rays takes place. This approach takes into account all the meteorological variables mentioned above for the determination of the index. Subsequently, the ray paths have been modelled using Snell's law, taking into account the effect of the correction for the curvature of the earth on the propagation of the rays and on the geographical location of both the observer and the site to be observed. The model used has been validated by empirical data confirming its effectiveness and accuracy. The study highlights the versatility of the code for use in scientific applications, emphasising its relevance for future research and technological advances in the fields of optics and telecommunications.

Amb dades de l'Observatori Fabra