Optical coherence and Wolf's theory for electromagnetic waves
Abstract
Wolf's theory of coherence in the space-frequency domain is extended to the vector case, and propagation from sources in free space is described, using plane waves as basis states. The field is specified in terms of a correlation function given by the ensemble average of the basis-state amplitudes, and it is then shown how source radiation properties and a variety of traditional coherence functions may be calculated.
- Publication:
-
Journal of the Optical Society of America A
- Pub Date:
- October 1988
- DOI:
- 10.1364/JOSAA.5.001688
- Bibcode:
- 1988JOSAA...5.1688P
- Keywords:
-
- Coherent Electromagnetic Radiation;
- Coherent Light;
- Radiation Distribution;
- Correlation;
- Electromagnetic Fields;
- Far Fields;
- Physics (General);
- COHERENCE;
- ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES