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Journal of Mathematical Physics

Degree of Higher-Order Optical Coherence

C. L. Mehta

Published Sep 1, 1967• 6 citations
Publisher

Abstract

In this paper we define the normalized coherence function of arbitrary order (m, n), in a manner which seems to be a natural generalization of that defined for the second-order coherence function. Both classical and quantized optical fields are considered and the results are compared. It is shown that for classical fields and also for quantized optical fields having nonnegative definite diagonal coherent state representations of the density operator, the modulus of these normalized coherence functions is bounded by the values 0 and 1. This definition differs from the one recently given by Glauber for quantized optical fields, where the normalized coherence functions may take arbitrarily large values even for fields having nonnegative definite diagonal representations of the density operator. Conditions for ``complete coherence,'' i.e., those under which the modulus of the normalized coherence function attains the limiting value 1, are discussed. Some consequences of stationarity and quasi-monochromaticity are also discussed.

DOI
10.1063/1.1705423

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Physical Review•Apr 12, 1965•225 citations
In this paper we define the normalized coherence function of arbitrary order (m, n), in a manner which seems to be a natural generalization of that defined for the second-order coherence function. Both classical and quantized optical fields are considered and the results are compared. It is shown that for classical fields and also for quantized optical fields having nonnegative definite diagonal coherent state representations of the density operator, the modulus of these normalized coherence functions is bounded by the values 0 and 1. This definition differs from the one recently given by Glauber for quantized optical fields, where the normalized coherence functions may take arbitrarily large values even for fields having nonnegative definite diagonal representations of the density operator. Conditions for ``complete coherence,'' i.e., those under which the modulus of the normalized coherence function attains the limiting value 1, are discussed. Some consequences of stationarity and quasi-monochromaticity are also discussed.
The concept of coherence which has conventionally been used in optics is found to be inadequate to the needs of recently opened areas of experiment. To provide a fuller discussion of coherence, a succession of correlation functions for the complex field strengths is defined. The nthn\mathrm{th}nth order function expresses the correlation of values of the fields at 2n2n2n different points of space and time. Certain values of these functions are measurable by means of nnn-fold delayed coincidence detection of photons. A fully coherent field is defined as one whose correlation functions satisfy an infinite succession of stated conditions. Various orders of incomplete coherence are distinguished, according to the number of coherence conditions actually satisfied. It is noted that the fields historically described as coherent in optics have only first-order coherence. On the other hand, the existence, in principle, of fields coherent to all orders is shown both in quantum theory and classical theory. The methods used in these discussions apply to fields of arbitrary time dependence. It is shown, as a result, that coherence does not require monochromaticity. Coherent fields can be generated with arbitrary spectra.
The concept of coherence which has conventionally been used in optics is found to be inadequate to the needs of recently opened areas of experiment. To provide a fuller discussion of coherence, a succession of correlation functions for the complex field strengths is defined. The nthn\mathrm{th}nth order function expresses the correlation of values of the fields at 2n2n2n different points of space and time. Certain values of these functions are measurable by means of nnn-fold delayed coincidence detection of photons. A fully coherent field is defined as one whose correlation functions satisfy an infinite succession of stated conditions. Various orders of incomplete coherence are distinguished, according to the number of coherence conditions actually satisfied. It is noted that the fields historically described as coherent in optics have only first-order coherence. On the other hand, the existence, in principle, of fields coherent to all orders is shown both in quantum theory and classical theory. The methods used in these discussions apply to fields of arbitrary time dependence. It is shown, as a result, that coherence does not require monochromaticity. Coherent fields can be generated with arbitrary spectra.
The "diagonal" PPP representation of the photon density operator in terms of the coherent states of the radiation field is studied. It is shown that the class of weight functions $P(\ensuremath{\alpha})$ required to represent all density operators by means of the PPP representation is much larger than the class of all probability distributions and that therefore the analogy linking the use of the PPP representation with certain classical stochastic techniques is useful only for a limited class of density operators. The class of density operators for which the PPP representation is appropriate is shown to be limited in the sense that there are density operators that require weight functions so singular as to lie outside the class of all tempered distributions. Conditions on the weight function $P(\ensuremath{\alpha})$ under which the expectation values of the normal ordered operators ${({a}^{\ifmmode\dagger\else\textdagger\fi{}})}^{n}{a}^{m}$ assume a particularly simple integral form are presented. It is shown that if $P(\ensuremath{\alpha})$ is a tempered distribution, then these expectation values are given by a simple limiting process. A limited correspondence with classical optics is suggested by a formula for these expectation values. Conditions that a density operator must satisfy if its weight function is to be non-negative are presented and are shown to exclude all pure states except the coherent states themselves. The problem of representing an arbitrary operator in terms of the coherent states is studied. New measures of the completeness of the coherent states are established.
The complex degree of coherence γ(r1, r2, t1 − t2) of a stationary optical field is defined as the normalized cross-correlation function (|γ| ≤ 1) of the light disturbances at two space-time points (r1, t1), (r2, t2), the disturbances being represented by means of Gabor's analytic signals. In the present paper the general form of γ is examined under the condition that |γ| takes on the extreme value unity for all possible time differences τ = t1 − t2 (− ∞ < τ < ∞). Several cases are distinguished, depending on whether this condition is satisfied for some points or for all points in some fixed domain of space. It is pointed out, that the previously published derivations of the relevant theorems contain serious errors. The methods employed in the present paper make use of the property of nonnegative definiteness which the complex degree of coherence is shown to obey. The results have a bearing on the important but as yet unsolved ``phase problem'' of optical coherence theory.
A factorization condition which must be satisfied by the first nnn correlation functions for the electromagnetic field operators has been used to define nth-order coherence. The first-order coherence condition has been shown to imply maximum fringe contrast in interference patterns. In the present paper we investigate the mathematical consequences of assuming the condition for maximum fringe contrast. By considering the correlation functions as scalar products and formulating rigorous inequalities for them we are able to show that the assumed condition in turn implies factorization of the first-order correlation function. By extending the same methods we are able to show that all of the higher order correlation functions factorize into forms similar to those required for full coherence, but differing from them through the inclusion of a sequence of constant numerical factors. These coefficients are shown to furnish a convenient description of the higher-order coherence properties of the field. Their values are presented for some typical examples. We derive a number of inequalities satisfied by the coefficients for the case of fields which possess positive-definite weight functions in the PPP representation. Some inequalities obeyed by the correlation functions for such fields are derived as well.
The problem of relating the semiclassical and quantum treatments of statistical states of an optical field is re-examined. The case where the rule of association between functions and operators is that of antinormal ordering is studied in detail. It is shown that the distribution function for each mode corresponding to this case is a continuous bounded function, and is also a boundary value of an entire analytic function of two variables. The nature of the distribution for the normal ordering rule of association and its relation to this entire function are discussed. It is shown that this distribution can be regarded as the limit of a sequence of tempered distributions in the following sense: One can find a sequence of density operators ${\stackrel{^}{\ensuremath{\rho}}}_{(\ensuremath{\nu})}$ which converges in the norm to the density operator $\stackrel{^}{\ensuremath{\rho}}$ of any given field (consisting of a single mode), such that each member of the sequence can be expressed in the form ${\stackrel{^}{\ensuremath{\rho}}}_{(\ensuremath{\nu})}=\ensuremath{\int}{\ensuremath{\varphi}}_{(\ensuremath{\nu})}(z)|z〉〈z|{d}^{2}z$, where ${\ensuremath{\varphi}}_{(\ensuremath{\nu})}$ is a tempered distribution.