Analyzing the average intensity distribution and beam width evolution of phase-locked partially coherent radial flat-topped array laser beams in oceanic turbulence

Abstract

In this research, an analytical expression for cross-spectral density matrix elements (and consequently, average intensity) of partially coherent flat-topped (PCFT) radial array laser beams in weak oceanic turbulence are derived based on the extended Huygens–Fresnel principle and the previously developed knowledge of the propagation of a partially coherent beam in atmosphere. Mean-squared beam width is calculated analytically using average intensity formula. The simulation is done by considering the effects of source parameters (such as the radius of the array setup’s circle and effective width of spectral degree of coherence) and turbulent ocean factors (such as the rate of dissipation of the turbulent kinetic energy per unit mass of fluid and relative strength of temperature-salinity fluctuations, Kolmogorov micro-scale, and the rate of dissipation of the mean squared temperature) in detail. It is found that when salinity fluctuations in the ocean dominate temperature fluctuations, the average intensity of the PCFT array beam becomes more broad and the array beam profile conversion process to a single wider Gaussian beam profile will occur at a faster rate. For the same turbulent conditions and the same initial beam width, the divergence of a flat-topped array beam is less than the Gaussian array beam. The simulation and calculation results are shown by graphs.