Physics and Computation of Aero-Optics Meng Wang, 1 Ali Mani, 2 and Stanislav Gordeyev 1 1 Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556; email: m.wang@nd.edu, sgordeye@nd.edu 2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305; email: alimani@stanford.edu Annu. Rev. Fluid Mech. 2012. 44:299–321 First published online as a Review in Advance on October 17, 2011 The Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics is online at fluid.annualreviews.org This article’s doi: 10.1146/annurev-fluid-120710-101152 Copyright c  2012 by Annual Reviews. All rights reserved 0066-4189/12/0115-0299$20.00 Keywords wave-front distortion, turbulent flow, high-fidelity simulation, optical mitigation Abstract This article provides a critical review of aero-optics with an emphasis on recent developments in computational predictions and the physical mech- anisms of flow-induced optical distortions. Following a brief introduction of the fundamental theory and key concepts, computational techniques for aberrating flow fields and optical propagation are discussed along with a brief survey of wave-front sensors used in experimental measurements. New physical understanding generated through numerical and experimental in- vestigations is highlighted for a number of important aero-optical flows, including turbulent boundary layers, separated shear layers, and flow over optical turrets. Approaches for mitigating aero-optical effects are briefly discussed. 299 Annu. Rev. Fluid Mech. 2012.44:299-321. Downloaded from www.annualreviews.org by Stanford University - Main Campus - Lane Medical Library on 09/28/12. For personal use only.