Information content of coherent images

Information theory, as developed by Shannon (1948), provides a theoretical framework for describing the transfer of information through a communication channel. A coherent imaging system is a particular form of communication channel which is characterized by a multiplicative noise process termed 'speckle'. Information theory is used to assess the effect of speckle on the information content of coherent images. Particular emphasis is given to relating information theoretic concepts to intuitive descriptions of information based on physical models.