Modeling Optical Turbulence on Mauna Kea: An Operational Challange

Ground-based astronomy depends heavily on the impact of the weather on the observing conditions. While a clement and clear weather is the minimum requirement for the astronomers to be able to conduct productive optical observations, the optical turbulent state of the atmosphere is also a primary concern, since turbulence greatly impacts the resulting image quality and therefore the range of possible observations. Turbulence causes amplitude and phase fluctuations in electromagnetic waves propagating through the atmosphere, constraining the maximum telescope resolution, and resulting in telescope image degradation. Adaptive optics (AO) allows for a partial correction of the image degradation caused by atmospheric turbulence. However, to maximize the benefits of AO, knowledge of the vertical profile of optical turbulence is needed. This paper presents the implementation, validation, and calibration of an atmospheric turbulence algorithm applied in an operational modeling prediction system that is run at the Mauna Kea Weather Center (MKWC). The prognostic component of the modeling prediction system is the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF). The operational challenges of using the model guidance to fine-tune the forecast of the optical turbulent state of the atmosphere for the astronomical sites at the summit of Mauna Kea are addressed.