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Updated: Aug 17, 2025
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Stimulated Stokes and Antistokes Raman Scattering in Microspherical Whispering Gallery Mode Resonators
Published on: April 4, 2016
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Partially coherent spherical sources with spherical harmonic modes
Summary
This study introduces partially coherent spherical sources using spherical harmonics. It demonstrates that these sources can exhibit perfect radial coherence alongside partial angular coherence, advancing understanding of light propagation.
Area of Science:
- Optics and Photonics
- Classical Electrodynamics
- Mathematical Physics
Background:
- Partially coherent sources are crucial in various optical applications.
- Understanding the spatial coherence properties of light is fundamental.
- Spherical sources present unique challenges in modeling light propagation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a new class of partially coherent spherical sources.
- To analyze the coherence properties, particularly radial and angular coherence.
- To provide a framework for solving the propagation problem for these sources.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing a modal expansion based on spherical harmonics for cross-spectral density.
- Deriving the solution for the propagation of these modes in outer spaces.
- Analyzing the mathematical features of the derived cross-spectral densities.
Main Results:
- A class of partially coherent spherical sources is defined.
- The propagation of these sources maintains their spherical harmonic structure.
- Examples illustrate that perfect radial coherence can coexist with partial angular coherence.
Conclusions:
- The introduced class of sources offers a novel way to model partially coherent light.
- The findings highlight the distinct behaviors of radial and angular coherence.
- This work provides a theoretical basis for designing and understanding complex light fields.
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