Measurement of intensity and polarization beatings in the interference of independent optical fields

Abstract

We experimentally study the intensity and polarization beatings of interfering independent optical fields. Using the tools of intensity interferometry, we measure the beating harmonicity time and the degree of randomness of the polarization beating for several combinations of light fields with Poissonian and Gaussian statistics. The degree of randomness is represented by the effective thickness of a ring on the Poincaré sphere within which the tip of the Poincaré vector moves. The method is based on two-photon detection, allowing femtosecond-scale variations of light intensity and polarization to be experimentally characterized. The research contributes to both fundamental and applied aspects of electromagnetic optics.