Propagation factor and beam wander of electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model array beams in non-Kolmogorov turbulence

Abstract

The propagation formulae for the propagation factor (known as M2-factor) and beam wander of electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model (EGSM) array beams in non-Kolmogorov turbulence are derived by using the extended Huygens-Fresnel principle and the second-order moments of the Wigner distribution function. The results indicate that the M2-factor and beam wander depend on the beam parameters and turbulence parameters, and the relative M2-factor has a maximum when the generalized exponent parameter α is equal to 3.1. Otherwise, the changes of the separation distances (x0, y0) have great influence on the relative M2-factor. The relative beam wander increases rapidly when 3<α<3.2; however, it increases slowly when 3.2<α<4. It is also shown that the beam spreading of EGSM array beams is more affected by turbulence than the root mean square beam wander.