Open AccessTwist phase-induced changes of the statistical properties of a stochastic electromagnetic beam propagating in a uniaxial crystal
Author(s) -
Lin Liu,
Yahong Chen,
Lina Guo,
Yangjian Cai
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.23.012454
Subject(s) - uniaxial crystal , optics , degree of coherence , physics , polarization (electrochemistry) , degree of polarization , coherence (philosophical gambling strategy) , beam (structure) , twist , density matrix , isotropy , optical axis , geometry , quantum mechanics , mathematics , chemistry , scattering , quantum , lens (geology)
With the help of a tensor method, an analytical formula is derived for the cross-spectral density matrix of a twisted electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model (EGSM) beam (i.e., EGSM beam with twist phase) propagating in a uniaxial crystal orthogonal to the optical axis. The twist phase-induced changes of the statistical properties, such as the spectral density, the degree of polarization and the degree of coherence, of an EGSM beam propagating in a uniaxial crystal are illustrated numerically. It is found that the distributions of the spectral density, the degree of polarization and the degree of coherence of a twisted EGSM beam in a uniaxial crystal all exhibit non-circular symmetries, which are quite different from those of a twisted EGSM beam in isotropic medium or in free space. One may use uniaxial crystal to determine whether an EGSM beam carries twist phase or not.