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Full-Text Articles in Physics

Generating Electromagnetic Schell-Model Sources Using Complex Screens With Spatially Varying Auto- And Cross-Correlation Functions, Milo W. Hyde Iv Sep 2019

Generating Electromagnetic Schell-Model Sources Using Complex Screens With Spatially Varying Auto- And Cross-Correlation Functions, Milo W. Hyde Iv

Faculty Publications

We present a method to generate any physically realizable electromagnetic Schell-model source. Our technique can be directly implemented on existing vector-beam generators that utilize spatial light modulators for coherence control, beam shaping, and relative phasing. This work significantly extends published research on the subject, where control over the partially coherent source’s cross-spectral density matrix was limited. We begin by presenting the statistical optics theory necessary to derive and implement our method. We then apply our technique, both analytically and in simulation, to produce two electromagnetic Schell-model sources from the literature. We demonstrate control over the full cross-spectral density matrices of …


Digital Holography Efficiency Experiments For Tactical Applications, Douglas E. Thornton Sep 2019

Digital Holography Efficiency Experiments For Tactical Applications, Douglas E. Thornton

Theses and Dissertations

Digital holography (DH) uses coherent detection and offers direct access to the complex-optical field to sense and correct image aberrations in low signal-to-noise environments, which is critical for tactical applications. The performance of DH is compared to a similar, well studied deep-turbulence wavefront sensor, the self-referencing interferometer (SRI), with known efficiency losses. Wave optics simulations with deep-turbulence conditions and noise were conducted and the results show that DH outperforms the SRI by 10's of dB due to DH's strong reference. Additionally, efficiency experiments were conducted to investigate DH system losses. The experimental results show that the mixing efficiency (37%) is …


Near-Field Effects On Partially Coherent Light Scattered By An Aperture, Milo W. Hyde Iv, Michael J. Havrilla Aug 2019

Near-Field Effects On Partially Coherent Light Scattered By An Aperture, Milo W. Hyde Iv, Michael J. Havrilla

Faculty Publications

We investigate how the near field affects partially coherent light scattered from an aperture in an opaque screen. Prior work on this subject has focused on the role of surface plasmons, and how they affect spatial coherence is well documented. Here, we consider other near-field effects that might impact spatial coherence. We do this by examining the statistics of the near-zone field scattered from an aperture in a perfect electric conductor plane—a structure that does not support surface plasmons. We derive the near-field statistics (in particular, cross-spectral density functions) by applying electromagnetic equivalence theorems and the Method of Moments. We …


Shaping The Far-Zone Intensity, Degree Of Polarization, Angle Of Polarization, And Ellipticity Angle Using Vector Schell-Model Sources, Milo W. Hyde Iv Mar 2019

Shaping The Far-Zone Intensity, Degree Of Polarization, Angle Of Polarization, And Ellipticity Angle Using Vector Schell-Model Sources, Milo W. Hyde Iv

Faculty Publications

This paper presents a method to control both the shape and polarization of a beam in the far field using a vector Schell-model source. Given a desired far-zone beam shape and polarization, and applying Fourier and statistical optics theory, we derive the requisite second-order moments of said source, discuss what aspects of the far-zone beam can be controlled, and develop a step-by-step procedure for synthesizing the required random vector field instances. We validate this approach with Monte-Carlo wave-optics simulations. The results are found to be in very good agreement with the desired far-zone beam characteristics. The beam-shaping technique developed in …