We undertake a computational and experimental study of an advanced class of structured beams, partially coherent radially polarized vortex (PCRPV) beams, on propagation through atmospheric turbulence. A computational propagation model is established to simulate this class of beams, and it is used to calculate the average intensity and on-axis scintillation index of PCRPV beams. On comparison with other classes of structured beams, such as partially coherent vortex beams and partially coherent radially polarized beams, it is found that the PCRPV beams, which structure phase, coherence and polarization simultaneously, show marked improvements in atmospheric propagation. The simulation results agree reasonably well with the experimental results. These beams will be useful in free-space optical communications and remote sensing.

Elegant Hermite-Gaussian correlated Schell-model (EHGCSM) beam was introduced in theory and generated in experiment just recently [Phys. Rev. A 91, 013823 (2015)]. In this paper, we study the propagation properties of an EHGCSM beam in turbulent atmosphere with the help of the extended Huygens-Fresnel integral. Analytical expressions for the cross-spectral density and the propagation factors of an EHGCSM beam propagating in turbulent atmosphere are derived. The statistical properties, such as the spectral intensity, the spectral degree of coherence and the propagation factors, of an EHGCSM beam in Kolmogorov and non-Kolmogorov turbulence are illustrated numerically. It is found that an EHGCSM beam exhibits splitting and combing properties in turbulent atmosphere, and an EHGCSM beam with large mode orders is less affected by turbulence than an EHGCSM beam with small mode orders or a Gaussian Schell-model beam or a Gaussian beam, which will be useful in free-space optical communications.

We study the propagation properties (intensity, degree of coherence and scintillation) of a new class of beams in a turbulent atmosphere, which are called Hermite non-uniformly correlated (HNUC) beams. The results show that the beams not only have lower scintillation but also higher intensity than Gaussian-Schell model (GSM) beams over certain propagation ranges. We can adjust the beam order of HNUC beams to enhance the intensity of the beam in the receiver plane and, simultaneously, reduce the detrimental scintillation, and we can also adjust the coherence length of HNUC beams to optimize the effects of a given propagation distance between a signal transmitter and a receiver.

We introduce a new class of non-uniformly correlated beams that are called rectangular Hermite non-uniformly correlated (RHNUC) beams, which possess rectangular symmetry in their degree of coherence. It is shown that, in free space and in turbulence, these beams possess self-focusing properties and that the position of the focus can be adjusted in 3-D space by manipulating the correlation properties of the source. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that, by choosing different mode orders and correlation lengths along two transverse directions, one creates astigmatic beams that can be designed to have a high and near-constant intensity over an extended propagation range.

We study the beam wander of a class of structured light beams, Hermite–Gaussian correlated Schell-model (HGCSM) beams, in theory and in experiment. It is found that modulating the coherence structure of a structured light beam can reduce the turbulence-induced beam wander, i.e., a HGCSM beam with larger mode orders or lower coherence experiences smaller beam wander. Our experimental results are consistent with theoretical predictions, and the insights here suggest that HGCSM beams could be useful in free-space optical communications.