Coherent Control of degree of coherence of spatially partially coherent light beams via photon switching

You-Lin Chuang^1*

¹Electro Optical Engineering, National United University, Miaoli, Taiwan

* Presenter:You-Lin Chuang, email:ylchuang@nuu.edu.tw

We study the mutual spatial coherence based on photon switching technique by using a N-type atomic system. We start from a general theory to consider the probe field as a spatially partially coherent light beam, and study its mutual spatial coherence after propagating through an atomic medium, for which the transmittance function can be controlled by the signal light beam strength and detuning, which are tunable in practical experiments. Our results show that the mutual spatial coherence has quite different behaviors with the sign of signal detuning. Besides, the mutual coherence is a function of signal beam strength and detuning, which is mapped on the two-dimensional parameter space of transmittance function. The tunable spatial coherence has a great potential to generate desired degree of partially coherence of light beams beyond van Cittert-Zernike theorem.

Keywords: photon switching, partially coherent light, coherent control