Calculation of the energy of a synthetic laser beacon

A statistical model of a synthetic laser beacon, formed by resonant scattering from the mesospheric sodium layer, is proposed and the average energy of the radiation emitted by this beacon is calculated. The beacon radiation can be used as the reference signal in compensation for the atmospheric turbulence and other sources of distortion in adaptive systems. A calculation formula is derived for the energy of a signal received from a synthetic beacon. Account is taken of the broadening of the resonant scattering line of sodium atoms because of their thermal motion, of the pulsed nature and partial coherence of the laser radiation, of the finite time taken by these atoms to cross the laser beam, and of the influence of the atmospheric turbulence.