Efficiency of the compensation of phase distortions of optical waves

A theoretical analysis is made of the efficiency of a system for the compensation of phase fluctuations of an optical wave traveling in a turbulent atmosphere. In this system the distortions are compensated on the basis of measurements of phase fluctuations in the reflected wave. A correlation function for the uncompensated error and the compensation parameter a are introduced. Calculations carried out in the approximation of smooth perturbations indicate that the compensation on the basis of reflected waves is effective only up to distances at which the Fresnel zone does not exceed the external scale of turbulence.