Realization of nontrivial partial spatial coherence by a deformable mirror

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Wave Phenomena
• Coherent Beam Generation

Background:

• Partially coherent beams are crucial in various optical applications.
• Generating and characterizing phase screens with controlled correlations is challenging.
• Existing methods lack precise control over correlation decay properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a method for generating partially coherent phase screens with distinct correlation decay types.
• To experimentally validate the distinguishability of these phase screens.
• To provide an analytical model for beam quality degradation.

Main Methods:

• Singular-value decomposition (SVD) for phase screen generation.
• High-speed (kHz rate) realization using a deformable mirror.
• Characterization via Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensing and beam quality measurements.

Main Results:

• Two types of phase screens (polynomial and Gaussian decay) were successfully generated.
• Experimental data confirmed the statistical distinguishability of correlation decay.
• Goodness-of-fit for correlation matrices was within 10% of ideal.
• An analytical expression for Gaussian phase screen beam quality showed excellent agreement with empirical data.

Conclusions:

• The SVD method effectively generates distinguishable partially coherent phase screens.
• This technique enhances capabilities for optical beam shaping.
• Potential applications include turbulence mitigation and nonlinear optics.