Wind fluctuation measurements in the buoyancy range by stellar scintillation analysis

Single‐star scintillation spatiotemporal cross‐correlation functions enable estimates of altitude, C N 2 and horizontal wind velocity of each atmospheric turbulent layer between 2 and 20 km to be made. Furthermore, for the first time with such a technique, the standard deviations σ v of the horizontal wind fluctuations are also estimated. The experimental results are compared with those obtained by other methods and good agreement is found. The σ v estimations are interpreted in terms of the horizontal wind velocity spectrum and the measurements extend into the buoyancy range. These results encourage the belief that the use of a faster correlator will enable us to experimentally sample the buoyancy range for length scales ranging from 100 m to several tens of thousands of meters.