title: Noninterferometric characterization of partially coherent scalar wave fields and application to scattered light.
abstract: We report on the application of a simple propagation-based phase-space tomographic technique to the determination of characteristic projections through the mutual optical intensity and the generalized radiance of a scalar, quasi-monochromatic partially coherent wave field. This method is applied to the reconstruction of the coherence functions of an initially spatially coherent optical wave field that has propagated through a suspension of polystyrene microspheres. As anticipated, we see that the field separates into a ballistic, or unscattered, component and a scattered component with a much shorter coherence length. Good agreement is obtained between experimental results and the results of a model based on a wave-transport equation.
authors.affiliation: School of Physics, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia.
authors.forename: C K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Aruldoss
authors.forename: N M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Dragomir
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Roberts
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D003198:Computer Simulation; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D007368:Interferometry / Q000379:methods; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011874:Radiometry / Q000379:methods*; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods*