Partially coherent beam and its applications

The recent progresses on the propagation, generation and application of partially coherent beam (PCB) are reviewed in this paper. A new tensor ABCD law for treating the propagation of partially coherent Gaussian-Schell model (GSM) beams through a paraxial optical system is derived. The focusing, spectral shift and fractional Fourier transform of the GSM beam are investigated by using the tensor method. The generation of PCB with special optical resonator is studied both theoretically and experimentally. Furthermore, the ghost imaging and superluminal propagation of the PCB is discussed. The results show clearly that the coherence of light have strong influences on the ghost imaging and superluminal propagation.