Polarization properties of a stochastic electromagnetic ultrashort pulse laser beam in the atmospheric turbulence

Abstract

Changes in the polarization properties of a spatially and spectrally partially coherent stochastic electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model (EGSM) ultrashort pulse laser beam propagating through the atmospheric turbulence are investigated. We derive analytic equations for the spectral degree of polarization and the polarization angle in terms of the extended Huygens-Fresnel principle and elements of the 2×2 cross-spectral density function matrix of the electric field. Within the framework of the Tatarskii model of the turbulent atmosphere, which taking the inner scale of the turbulent eddies into consideration, the dependence of along the z-axis and off the z-axis the spectral degree of polarization and the polarization angle of a stochastic EGSM ultrashort pulse laser beam on the parameters of the source including spatial coherence length and temporal coherence length are stressed and illustrated numerically. Results show that the spectral degree of polarization and the polarization angle of the EGSM ultrashort pulse laser beam propagating through the atmospheric turbulence are determined by the parameters of the source. Our results have potential applications in atmospheric remote sensing and ground-to-satellite optical communications.