Electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model Beam Research Articles

Criterion for keeping completely unpolarized or completely polarized stochastic electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model beams on propagation

The cross-spectral density matrixes of electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model sources that are completely unpolarized or completely polarized are derived. We find that both the completely unpolarized stochastic electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model beam and the completely polarized stochastic electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model beam will keep their spectral degree of polarization or become partially polarized under different constraint conditions during their propagation in free space or through turbulent atmosphere. We give necessary theoretical explanation to the physical phenomena. They are considered as coherence-induced polarization changes and spectral density-induced polarization changes.

Active laser radar systems with stochastic electromagnetic beams in turbulent atmosphere

Propagation of stochastic electromagnetic beams through paraxial ABCD optical systems operating through turbulent atmosphere is investigated with the help of the ABCD matrices and the generalized Huygens-Fresnel integral. In particular, the analytic formula is derived for the cross-spectral density matrix of an electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model (EGSM) beam. We applied our analysis for the ABCD system with a single lens located on the propagation path, representing, in a particular case, the unfolded double-pass propagation scenario of active laser radar. Through a number of numerical examples we investigated the effect of local turbulence strength and lens' parameters on spectral, coherence and polarization properties of the EGSM beam.

Propagation of a random electromagnetic beam through a misaligned optical system in turbulent atmosphere

On the basis of the generalized diffraction integral formula for misaligned optical systems in the spatial domain, an analytical propagation expression for the elements of the cross-spectral density matrix of a random electromagnetic beam passing through a misaligned optical system in turbulent atmosphere is derived. Some analyses are illustrated by numerical examples relating to changes in the state of polarization of an electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model beam propagating through such an optical system. It is shown that the misalignment has a significant influence on the intensity profile and the state of polarization of the beam, but the influence becomes smaller for the beam propagating in strong turbulent atmosphere. The method in this paper can be applied for sources that are either isotropic or anisotropic. It is shown that the isotropic sources and the anisotropic sources have different polarization properties on beam propagation.

Effects of coherence and polarization changes on the heterodyne detection of stochastic beams propagating in free space

We evaluate the heterodyne efficiency of a heterodyne (coherent) detection system for partially polarized, partially coherent, quasi-monochromatic beams. The beam-coherence-polarization (BCP) matrix is used for the description of the statistical ensemble of this class of stochastic beams. We investigate the dependence of the efficiency of the detection process on the beams parameters as the beams propagate in free space. We discuss how the optimization of the detection system can be performed for received beams with different coherence and polarization properties by adjusting the corresponding properties of the local oscillator beam. The dependence of the mixing efficiency on the size of the receiving aperture is emphasized. We derive an analytical expression for the heterodyne efficiency in the case when both the received beam and the local oscillator beam belong to a broad class of so-called electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model beams. Our analysis is illustrated by numerical examples.

Generalized Stokes parameters of a stochastic electromagnetic beam propagating through a paraxial ABCD optical system

On the basis of the generalized diffraction integral formula for an ABCD optical system in the spatial domain, a propagation law for the generalized Stokes parameters of a stochastic electromagnetic beam passing through an ABCD optical system is obtained. We describe the Stokes parameters of the source as linear combinations of the elements of the cross-spectral density matrix, and study the changes in the spectral degree of polarization and in the state of the polarization ellipse of a stochastic electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model beam propagating through a gradient-index fiber with the help of generalized Stokes parameters and the cross-spectral density matrix. The medium has significant effect on the change of the spectral degree of polarization. However, when the correlation coefficients of the source satisfy the relation delta(xx)=delta(yy)=delta(xy)=delta(yx), the medium does not influence the spectral degree of polarization.

Stochastic electromagnetic beams focused by a bifocal lens

In this paper, we study the focusing of a stochastic electromagnetic beam by a bifocal lens. By taking the electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model (EGSM) beam as an example, the changes in the spectral density, in the spectral degree of coherence, and in the spectral degree of polarization of the EGSM beam as the beam is focused by an unapertured bifocal lens are investigated. It is shown that the spectral density, the spectral degree of coherence, and the spectral degree of polarization of the focused electromagnetic EGSM beams depend upon the coherence lengths and focal lengths of the bifocal lens. The influence of the coherence lengths and the focal lengths on the focused spectral density, the spectral degree of coherence, and the spectral degree of polarization are investigated in great detail.

Changes in the polarization, the coherence and the spectrum of partially coherent electromagnetic Hermite–Gaussian beams in turbulence

The unified theory of coherence and polarization is applied to an investigation of the changes in the polarization, the coherence and the spectrum of partially coherent electromagnetic Hermite–Gaussian (EHG) beams propagating through atmospheric turbulence. Based on the extended Huygens–Fresnel principle, the 2×2 electric cross-spectral density matrix of partially coherent EHG beams in turbulence is expressed analytically by using a quadratic approximation of Rytov's phase structure function. The analytical expressions for the degree of polarization, the degree of coherence and the spectrum of partially coherent EHG beams in turbulence are derived, and the corresponding analytical results of electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model (EGSM) beams can be obtained when the order number of the Hermite polynomial is zero. Some interesting results are obtained, which are illustrated by using numerical examples.

Spectral changes in electromagnetic stochastic beams propagating through turbulent atmosphere

It is known that the spectrum of light can change on propagation, even in free space. Such changes are due to its coherence properties. We determine how the spectrum of a stochastic electromagnetic beam of any state of coherence changes on propagation in atmospheric turbulence. We illustrate the results by examining changes in the spectrum of an electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model beam whose spectrum consists of a single spectral line with a Gaussian profile, which propagates through atmospheric turbulence, with Kolmogorov power spectrum. The results are of interest for optical communications through the atmosphere and for laser radar systems.

Cross-spectral density matrix of a random electromagnetic beam propagating through an apertured axially nonsymmetrical optical system

Using the fact that a hard-edged rectangular aperture function can be approximated by a two-dimensional multi-Gaussian series, analytic formulas for the elements of the cross-spectral density matrix of a random electromagnetic beam truncated by a rectangular aperture and passing through an axially nonsymmetrical optical system is derived. The analysis is illustrated by numerical examples relating to changes in the spectral degree of polarization of electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model beams propagating through free space, focal system and dual-focus system. In particular, the effect of the size of the hard aperture on the spectral degree of polarization of the beam along its optical axis is discussed.

Propagation of random electromagnetic beams through axially nonsymmetrical optical systems

When random electromagnetic beams passing through axially nonsymmetrical ABCD optical systems, the analytical formula for the transformation of the elements of 2 × 2 cross-spectral density matrix is obtained with the help of vector integration. We derive analytical expressions of the spectral degree of polarization, the spectral degree of coherence, and the spectral density in any output plane z > 0. Some numerical calculations are illustrated relating to the electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model beams propagating through such optical systems.

Conservation laws for stochastic electromagnetic free fields

Conservation laws for scalar stochastic free fields propagating in free space are generalized to electromagnetic beam-like fields. New conservation laws are derived for the elements of the cross-spectral density matrix of a stochastic electromagnetic beam, and they can be used to show that some integrated polarization properties, for example, Stokes parameters of a beam, are conserved on propagation in free space. We also show that, unlike integrated Stokes parameters, other polarization characteristics of a beam, for instance, its degree of polarization, are not, generally, conserved on propagation. The theory is illustrated by an example relating to the propagation of single-point and integrated Stokes parameters of an electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model beam.

Scintillation index of a stochastic electromagnetic beam propagating in random media

We study the behavior of the scintillation index (the normalized variance of fluctuating intensity) of a wide-sense statistically stationary, quasi-monochromatic, electromagnetic beam propagating in a homogeneous isotropic medium. In particular, we show that in the case when the beam is treated electromagnetically apart from the correlation properties of the medium in which the beam travels not only its degree of coherence but also its degree of polarization in the source plane can affect the values of the scintillation index along the propagation path. We find that, generally, beams generated by unpolarized sources have reduced level of scintillation, compared with beams generated by fully polarized sources, provided they have the same intensity distribution and the same state of coherence in the source plane. An example illustrating the theory is considered which examines how the scintillation index of an electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model beam propagates in the turbulent atmosphere. These results may find applications in optical communications through random media and in remote sensing.

Propagation characteristics of aberrant stochastic electromagnetic beams in a turbulent atmosphere

In this paper, we investigate the characteristics of stochastic electromagnetic beams with astigmatic aberration propagating through a turbulent atmosphere. Taking the electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model beam (GSM beam) as an example, the analytic expressions for the intensity and the degree of polarization of the beams propagating through the turbulent atmosphere are derived. It is shown that the intensity distribution and the degree of polarization of the GSM beam in the turbulent atmosphere are severely influenced by the astigmatism coefficient, as well as by the correlation property and the atmospheric turbulence. We show that when beams with astigmatic aberration propagate in a turbulent atmosphere, the beams become asymmetric in the near field and turn out to be symmetric after a quite long distance propagation in the turbulent atmosphere.

Changes in the coherence of quasi-monochromatic electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model beams propagating through turbulent atmosphere

Based on the extended Huygens–Fresnel principle, the mutual coherence function of quasi-monochromatic electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model (EGSM) beams propagating through turbulent atmosphere is derived analytically. By employing the lateral and the longitudinal coherence length of EGSM beams to characterize the spatial and the temporal coherence of the beams, the behavior of changes in the spatial and the temporal coherence of those beams is studied. The results show that with a fixed set of beam parameters and under particular atmospheric turbulence model, the lateral coherence of an EGSM beam reaches its maximum value as the beam propagates a certain distance in the turbulent atmosphere, then it begins degrading and keeps decreasing along with the further distance. However, the longitudinal coherence length of an EGSM beam keeps unchanging in this propagation. Lastly, a qualitative explanation is given to these results.

Changes in the spectrum and polarization of polychromatic partially coherent electromagnetic beams in the turbulent atmosphere

The polychromatic partially coherent electromagnetic Cosh–Gaussian (EChG) beam is introduced and taken as a typical example of polychromatic partially coherent electromagnetic beams. Based on the unified theory of coherence and polarization, the expressions for the spectrum and the degree of polarization of polychromatic partially coherent EChG beams in the turbulent atmosphere are derived, and the conditions for keeping polarization invariance and for determining the position where the degree of polarization becomes zero along the propagation path are also given. It is shown that the normalized spectrum is close to the normalized source spectrum due to turbulence. The reasonable physical explanation of spectral shift is given. On the other hand, the bandwidth does not affect the degree of polarization, and the degree of polarization tends to the value at the source plane due to turbulence in the long-propagation distance limit. The spectrum and polarization of polychromatic electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model (EGSM) beams and electromagnetic Gaussian (EG) beams in turbulence are treated as special cases of polychromatic partially coherent EChG beams.

Changes in the statistical properties of stochastic anisotropic electromagnetic beams on propagation in the turbulent atmosphere

We report analytic formulas for the elements of the e 2 X2 cross-spectral density matrix of a stochastic electromagnetic anisotropic beam propagating through the turbulent atmosphere with the help of vector integration. From these formulas the changes in the spectral density (spectrum), in the spectral degree of polarization, and in the spectral degree of coherence of such a beam on propagation are determined. As an example, these quantities are calculated for a so-called anisotropic electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model beam propagating in the isotropic and homogeneous atmosphere. In particular, it is shown numerically that for a beam of this class, unlike for an isotropic electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model beam, its spectral degree of polarization does not return to its value in the source plane after propagating at sufficiently large distances in the atmosphere. It is also shown that the spectral degree of coherence of such a beam tends to zero with increasing distance of propagation through the turbulent atmosphere, in agreement with results previously reported for isotropic beams.

Change in degree of coherence of partially coherent electromagnetic beams propagating through atmospheric turbulence

We study the change in the degree of coherence of partially coherent electromagnetic beam (so called electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model beam). It is shown analytically that with a fixed set of source parameters and under a particular atmospheric turbulence model, an electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model beam propagating through atmospheric turbulence reaches its maximum value of coherence after the beam propagates a particular distance, and the effective width of the spectral degree of coherence also has its maximum value. This phenomenon is independent of the used turbulence model. The results are illustrated by numerical curves.

Changes in the state of polarization of a random electromagnetic beam propagating through tissue

Based on the recently proposed unified theory of coherence and polarization of random electromagnetic beams, we have derived formulae describing changes in the state of polarization of a random electromagnetic beam propagating through tissue. A so-called electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model beam is used to illustrate the theory. The results may find possible applications in tissue imaging.

Changes in the spectrum, in the spectral degree of polarization, and in the spectral degree of coherence of a partially coherent beam propagating through a gradient-index fiber

Expressions are derived for the cross-spectral density matrix of an electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model beam propagating through a paraxial ABCD system. Using the recently developed unified theory of coherence and polarization of electromagnetic beams and the ABCD matrix for gradient-index fibers, we study the changes of the spectral density, of the spectral degree of polarization, and of the spectral degree of coherence of such a beam as it travels through the fiber. Effects of material dispersion are also considered.

Changes in the intensity fluctuations of a class of random electromagnetic beams on propagation

We discuss fourth-order correlation properties of wide-sense statistically stationary, quasi-monochromatic, electromagnetic beams, assuming that the fluctuations in the electric field at any point are governed by Gaussian statistics. In particular, we derive expressions for the covariance function and for the contrast (scintillation index) of the fluctuating intensity of an electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model beam, propagating in free space. For such beams we also derive expressions relating to fluctuations in the power and discuss the effects of transmitter and receiver aperture averaging. We show that the fluctuations of the intensity and of the power of the beam can be controlled by suitable choice of the states of coherence and of polarization of the source.