A new class of partially coherent pulses of Schell type with cosine-Gaussian temporal degree of coherence is introduced. Such waves are termed the Cosine-Gaussian Schell-model (CGSM) pulses. The analytic expression for the temporal mutual coherence function of the CGSM pulse in dispersive media is derived and used to study the evolution of its intensity distribution and its temporal degree of coherence. Further, the numerical calculations are performed in order to show the dependence of the intensity profile and the temporal degree of coherence of the CGSM pulse on the incident pulse duration, the initial temporal coherence length, the order-parameter n and the dispersion of the medium. The most important feature of the novel pulsed wave is its ability to split into two pulses on passage in a dispersive medium at some critical propagation distance. Such critical distance and the subsequent evolution of the split pulses are shown to depend on the source parameters and on the properties of the medium in which the pulse travels.

In a recent publication [Opt. Lett. 42, 1512 (2017) [CrossRef] ], a novel class of partially coherent sources with circular coherence was introduced. In this paper, we examine the propagation behavior of the spectral density and the spectral degree of spatial coherence of a beam generated by such a source in free space and in oceanic turbulent media. It is found that the beam exhibits self-focusing, which is dependent on the initial coherence and the parameters of oceanic turbulence. The self-focusing phenomenon disappears when the initial coherence is high enough or the oceanic turbulence is strong. The area of high coherence appears in the center and along two diagonal lines. With increasing turbulence, the coherence area reduces gradually along one diagonal line and is retained along the other one. A physical interpretation of the self-focusing phenomenon is presented, and potential applications in optical underwater communication and beam shaping are considered.

Theoretical predictions of light beam interactions with jet engine exhaust are of importance for optimization of various optical systems, including LIDARs, imagers and communication links operating in the vicinity of aircrafts and marine vessels. Here we extend the analysis previously carried out for coherent laser beams propagating in jet engine exhaust, to the broad class of Gaussian Schell-Model (GSM) beams, being capable of treating any degree of coherence in addition to size and radius of curvature. The analytical formulas for the spectral density (SD) and the spectral degree of coherence (DOC) of the GSM beam are obtained and analyzed on passage through a typical jet engine exhaust region. It is shown that for sources with high coherence, the transverse profiles of the SD and the DOC of the GSM beams gradually transition from initially circular to elliptical shape upon propagation at very short ranges. However, such transition is suppressed for sources with lower coherence and disappears in the incoherent source limit, implying that the GSM source with low source coherence is an excellent tool for mitigation of the jet engine exhaust-induced anisotropy of turbulence. The physical interpretation and the illustration are included.

A novel method to achieve the coherence control of spatiotemporal coherency vortices of spatially and temporally partially coherent pulsed vortex (STPCPV) beams is proposed. The influence of spatial and temporal coherence of the source on the phase distributions and the positions of spatiotemporal coherency vortices of the STPCPV beams propagating through fused silica is investigated in detail, for the first time to our knowledge. It is found that the coherence width and the coherence time of the incident beam can be regarded as a perfect tool for controlling the phase distribution and position of a spatiotemporal coherency vortex. The results obtained in this paper will benefit a number of applications relating to light-matter interaction, quantum entanglement, quantum imaging, optical trapping and spatiotemporal spin-orbit angular momentum coupling.

The scattering of a stochastic electromagnetic plane-wave pulse on a deterministic spherical medium is investigated. An analytical formula for the degree of polarization (DOP) of the scattered field in the far zone is derived. Letting pulse duration $T_0\to \infty$, our formula can be applied to study the scattering of a stationary stochastic electromagnetic light wave. Numerical results show that the DOP of the far zone field is closely determined by the size of the spherical medium when the incident field is a stochastic electromagnetic plane-wave pulse. This is much different from the case when the incident field is a stationary stochastic electromagnetic light wave, where the DOP of the far zone field is independent of the size of the medium. One may obtain the information of the spherical medium by measuring the scattering-induced changes in the DOP of a stochastic electromagnetic plane-wave pulse.