Terms Of Optics Research Articles

Optics in terms of observable quantities

Space-time correlation functions are defined which express the correlation between components of the electromagnetic field vectors in stationary fields. These functions form sets of 3×3 matrices, the individual elements of which obey the wave equation. Unlike the field vectors which are not measurable at the high frequencies encountered in Optics our correlation functions may be determined with the help of standard optical instruments. The results enable a unified treatment of theories of partial coherence and partial polarization to be obtained, and suggest a formulation of a wide branch of Optics in terms of observable quantities only.