Spectra, coherence and polarization in Young’s interference pattern formed by stochastic electromagnetic beams

Abstract

Abstract New expressions are derived that predict the change of spectral density, the spectral degree of coherence and spectral degree of polarization in Young’s interference pattern when the pinholes are illuminated by an electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-mode beam. The spectral degree of polarization in the observation plane is found, in general, to take on values different from its values at each pinhole, and it changes with position at the same spatial frequency, as does the spectral density. When the light at the pinholes is completely coherent, there are singular points in the pattern, at which the spectral degree of polarization reaches minimum value.