Characterization of atmospheric turbulence profiles at Wuming Mountain site

The characteristics of atmospheric optical turbulence are critical for the design and operation of modern groundbased optical telescopes. The effective implementation of Adaptive Optics (AO) systems in large telescopes, in particular, relies on a comprehensive understanding of the atmospheric turbulence parameters at the installation site. These key parameters include the atmospheric coherence time and the turbulence profile. The 2.5-m WideField and High-Resolution Telescope (WeHoT), planned for installation at Wuming Mountain Site in Daocheng, is designed for both day and night observations. A Ground Layer Adaptive Optics (GLAO) system will be an integral component of WeHoT. In the initial phase of measuring atmospheric turbulence parameters, the primary focus was on assessing the overall atmospheric turbulence intensity, with limited attention to detailed turbulence profile measurements. To address this gap, this study developed several devices capable of measuring atmospheric turbulence profiles and conducted field tests at Wuming Mountain Site. This paper details the hardware setup of these devices and presents preliminary test results.