Generating dark and antidark beams using the genuine cross-spectral density function criterion.

Abstract

In this work, we demonstrate how to generate dark and antidark beams-diffraction-free partially coherent sources-using the genuine cross-spectral density function criterion. These beams have been realized in prior work using the source's coherent-mode representation and by transforming a J0-Bessel correlated partially coherent source using a wavefront-folding interferometer. We generalize the traditional dark and antidark beams to produce higher-order sources, which have not been realized. We simulate the generation of these beams and compare the results to the corresponding theoretical predictions. The simulated results are found to be in excellent agreement with theory, thus validating our analysis. We discuss the pros and cons of our synthesis approach vis-à-vis the prior coherent modes work. Lastly, we conclude this paper with a brief summary, and a discussion of how to physically realize these beams and potential applications.