Partially correlated thin annular sources: the scalar case

Thin annular sources, either Coherent or completely incoherent from the spatial standpoint, have played a significant role in the synthesis of diffraction-free and J(0)-correlated fields, respectively. Here, we consider thin annular sources with partial correlation. A scalar description is developed under the assumption that the correlation function between two points depends on their angular distance only. We show that for any such source the modal expansion can easily be found. Further, we examine how the correlation properties of the radiated fields change on free propagation. We also give a number of examples and present possible synthesis schemes. (C) 2008 Optical Society of America