Complete characterization of partially coherent and partially polarized optical fields.

We suggest a method to access the second-order, or two-point, Stokes parameters of a partially coherent and partially polarized Gaussian model optical field from an intensity interferometry experiment. Through a remarkably simple experimental arrangement, it is possible to measure the two-point and one-point Stokes parameters simultaneously, allowing the reconstruction of the coherence matrix and the polarization matrix, thus completely characterizing the optical field both statistically and locally on the observation plane. Developments, automation, and applications are pointed out.

[1]  H. Kandpal,et al.  Experimental determination of electric cross-spectral density matrix and generalized Stokes parameters for a laser beam. , 2008, Optics letters.

[2]  R. H. Brown,et al.  Correlation between Photons in two Coherent Beams of Light , 1956, Nature.

[3]  Determination of the amplitude and the phase of the elements of electric cross-spectral density matrix by spectral measurements , 2009 .

[4]  givenName surName,et al.  Interferometry of the intensity fluctuations in light - I. Basic theory: the correlation between photons in coherent beams of radiation , 1957, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A. Mathematical and Physical Sciences.

[5]  Aristide Dogariu,et al.  Complex degree of mutual polarization. , 2004, Optics letters.

[6]  D. James,et al.  Intensity fluctuations and the degree of cross-polarization in stochastic electromagnetic beams , 2008 .

[7]  Experimental determination of two-point Stokes parameters for a partially coherent broadband light beam , 2010 .

[8]  Emil Wolf,et al.  Determination of the electric cross-spectral density matrix of a random electromagnetic beam , 2003 .

[9]  Observation of atomic speckle and Hanbury Brown-Twiss correlations in guided matter waves. , 2011, Nature communications.

[10]  E. Wolf,et al.  Generalized stokes parameters of random electromagnetic beams. , 2005, Optics letters.

[11]  A. Friberg,et al.  Hanbury Brown-Twiss effect with electromagnetic waves. , 2011, Optics express.

[12]  R. H. Brown,et al.  A Test of a New Type of Stellar Interferometer on Sirius , 1956, Nature.

[13]  O. Angelsky,et al.  Some current trends of correlation optics metrology of coherence and polarization. , 2012, Applied optics.

[14]  R. H. Brown,et al.  Correlation Between Photons, in Coherent Beams of Light, Detected by a Coincidence Counting Technique , 1957, Nature.

[15]  A. Friberg,et al.  Complete electromagnetic coherence in the space-frequency domain. , 2004, Optics letters.

[16]  A. Friberg,et al.  Phase correlations and optical coherence. , 2012, Optics letters.

[17]  S. Hodgman,et al.  Observation of transverse Bose-Einstein condensation via Hanbury Brown-Twiss correlations. , 2013, Physical review letters.

[18]  Hem Chandra Kandpal,et al.  Direct determination of the generalized Stokes parameters from the usual Stokes parameters. , 2009, Optics letters.

[19]  E. Wolf.  Unified theory of coherence and polarization of random electromagnetic beams , 2003 .

[20]  Jani Tervo,et al.  Two-point Stokes parameters: interpretation and properties. , 2009, Optics letters.

[21]  J. Howard.  Application of polarization interferometers for Thomson scattering , 2006 .

[22]  A. Friberg,et al.  Contrasts of Stokes parameters in Young's interference experiment and electromagnetic degree of coherence. , 2006, Optics Letters.

[23]  N. V. Gorodyns'ka,et al.  On polarization metrology (estimation) of the degree of coherence of optical waves. , 2009, Optics express.