A method to detect the atmospheric turbulent layers using a single Shack–Hartmann wavefront sensor is discussed. In order to determine the height distribution of the atmospheric turbulence above a telescope, we register the wavefront distortions at different regions of the aperture from a single light solar object moving in time. Changes of the spatial position of the solar object on the sky give us the possibility to estimate the angular shift of an object. Cross-correlation analysis of the low-frequency component of wavefront slopes spaced on the telescope aperture at different times allows us to estimate characteristics for different atmospheric layers. Knowledge of the height profiles of atmospheric turbulence as well as the Fried parameter is critical for wide-field adaptive optics (AO).
