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Published on: October 11, 2016
Spectral degree of coherence of a random three-dimensional electromagnetic field
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, USA.
Abstract:
The complex spectral degree of coherence of a general random, statistically stationary electromagnetic field is introduced in a manner similar to the way it is defined for a beamlike field, namely, by means of Young's interference experiment. Both its modulus and its phase are measurable. We illustrate the definition by applying it to blackbody radiation emerging from a cavity. The results are of particular interest for near-field optics.
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