Wake Vortex Acoustic Characteristics and SOCRATES Sensor Performance

This report provides an evaluation of the current state of the SOCRATES sensor and its readiness for use as an operational sensor for active monitoring of aircraft wake turbulence. SOCRATES is a laser opto-acoustic array designed to passively detect and track the sound emissions of aircraft vortices. The evaluation period, January 2003 to December 2006, included two field tests designed to improve understanding of the fundamentals of wake acoustic phenomenology and aspects of the SOCRATES sensor performance.