3D numerical simulations of optical turbulence at the Rogue de Los Muchachos Observatory using the atmospherical model Meso-Nh

We show results obtained from simulations of the optical turbulence (OT), p rovided by the atmospheric non-hydrostatic Meso-Nh model applied to the ast ronomical site of Rogue de Los Muchachos (RLM) in the Canary Islands. The v alidation of the numerical technique is done comparing simulated and measur ed C-N(2) profiles obtained by different instruments operating during the s ame observation campaign of 11 nights. The results of this study show, for each night, a good average estimation of the OT obtained with Meso-Nh, comp ared to the dispersion of measurements from the different instruments. For the first time, the contribution to the optical turbulence of the radiation of the ground was studied. Quantitative estimations are given of the abili ty of the model to simulate the temperature near the ground around the tele scope. Moreover, a set of 3D simulations shows that the horizontal distribu tion of the optical turbulence is not necessarily uniform, especially in th e first 10 km above the ground. Finally, a study of the optimization of the optical turbulence parameterization in the model code is presented.