Engineering Physics Summer Internship-optical turbulence computation

The Air Force Institute of Technology is looking for 2025 candidates to participate in a paid summer internship for 10-12 weeks at Wright Patterson Air Force Base (Dayton, Ohio). This Internship is in the Engineering Physics Department, with the Center for Directed Energy. All applicants must be U.S Citizens and be able to pass a background check. 

Project Title:  Quantification sensible heat (QH) and latent heat (QE) by infrared thermography using MWIR camera for optical turbulence (Cn2​) computation

Project Description: Quantification of sensible heat (QH) and latent heat (QE​) using infrared thermography with a mid-wave infrared (MWIR) camera offers a sophisticated approach to surface energy exchange analysis. The MWIR camera captures thermal radiation, enabling precise mapping of temperature and moisture fluxes over heterogeneous surfaces. By deriving QH​ from temperature gradients and QE from moisture transfer rates, this method provides real-time data critical for energy budgeting. These fluxes are directly linked to the optical turbulence structure function, Cn2​, which governs atmospheric refractive index fluctuations. Accurate QH and QE measurements enhance the reliability of Cn2​ computations, benefiting directed energy (DE) applications like laser propagation and optical communications.

Majors: STEM