Measurement of temporal coherence of light with copolarized and cross-polarized beams using cw laser-induced gratings

Abstract

The temporal coherence of a cw laser has been measured using self-diffraction from a thin film of a rhodamine 6G-doped boric-acid glass. This and other similar glasses cover a wide spectral range over which such measurements can be made. The input power requirements for this technique to work in these glasses are rather nominal. These glasses can be used to obtain mutual coherence function of beams even when they are cross polarized. The results of an interferometric measurement are given for comparison.