Design of phase plates for shaping partially coherent beams by simulated annealing

Taking the Gaussian Schell-model beam as a typical example ofpartially coherent beams, this paper applies the simulated annealing(SA) algorithm to the design of phase plates for shaping partiallycoherent beams. A flow diagram is presented to illustrate theprocedure of phase optimization by the SA algorithm. Numericalexamples demonstrate the advantages of the SA algorithm in shapingpartially coherent beams. An uniform flat-topped beam profile withmaximum reconstruction error RE<1.74% is achieved. A furtherextension of the approach is discussed.