Circular partially coherent flattened Gaussian beam

An alternative theoretical model called circular partially coherent flattened Gaussian beam (FGB) is developed to describe a circular partially coherent beam with a flat-topped spatial profile. Explicit expression for the propagation factor of a circular partially coherent FGB is derived. We drive the analytical formulae for the cross-spectral density and mean-squared beam width of a circular partially coherent FGB propagating through a paraxial ABCD optical system based on the generalized Collins formula. The intensity, spreading and directionality properties of a circular partially coherent FGB propagating in free space are studied as numerical examples. The propagation properties of a circular partially coherent FGB agree well with those of a partially coherent flat-topped beam reported in the literature. Thus, our model provides an alternative but reliable model for describing a circular partially coherent beam with flat-topped profile.