            Shaddy Abado * , Stanislav Gordeyev , and Eric J. Jumper Center for flow physics and control University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46656                       !   "            #       $$%&&   !        #   ’!          !  = jet exit nozzle width  = light spot position in direction  = light spot position in direction = telescope magnification  = optical path difference   = peak to peak of optical path difference   = root-mean-square of optical path difference  = optical path length  = Instantaneous phase gradients = convection velocity = focal length = index-of-refraction = beam path = time  = streamwise direction   = spanwise direction   = cross-stream direction = beam deflection angle = spot displacement λ = wavelength Ф = phase error (!) HEN a perfectly collimated, planar beam of light propagates through a field with variable index–of-refraction it gets distorted, causing a significant reduction in the optical signal intensity in the far field, and degradation in overall light transmitting system performance. When the transmitted system is airborne these effects are called aero-optical effects 1 . * Graduate research assistant, Department of Aerospace and Mech. Eng, AIAA Student Member. Assistant Research Professor, Department of Aerospace and Mech. Eng., Member AIAA. Professor, Department of Aerospace and Mech. Eng., Fellow AIAA. W 40th AIAA Plasmadynamics and Lasers Conference 22 - 25 June 2009, San Antonio, Texas AIAA 2009-4225 Copyright © 2009 by Shaddy Abado, Stanislav Gordeyev, and Eric J. Jumper. Published by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc., with permission.