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

    Authors

    M. Salem;J. P. Rolland

    Comments

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    Abbreviated Journal Title

    Opt. Commun.

    Keywords

    Heterodyne detection; Random electromagnetic beams; Signal-to-noise; ratio; SCHELL-MODEL BEAMS; ELECTROMAGNETIC BEAMS; EFFICIENCY; RADIATION; Optics

    Abstract

    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. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

    Journal Title

    Optics Communications

    Volume

    281

    Issue/Number

    20

    Publication Date

    1-1-2008

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    5083

    Last Page

    5091

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000259940700003

    ISSN

    0030-4018

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