Coherence Stokes Parameters in the Description of Electromagnetic Coherence

Abstract

The two-point counterparts of the traditional Stokes parameters, which are called the coherence Stokes parameters, have recently been extensively used for assessing the coherence properties of random electromagnetic light beams. In this work, we highlight their importance by emphasizing two features associated with them. First, the role of polarization in electromagnetic coherence is significantly elucidated when the coherence Stokes parameters are used. Second, the normalized coherence Stokes parameters should be regarded as the true electromagnetic counterparts of the normalized scalar-field correlation coefficient.

Keywords

• coherence
• polarization
• electromagnetic beams