ECE 6430 - Statistical Optics, Interferometry, and Detection

Coherence properties of light, including partial temporal and spatial coherence, as measured by statistical functions. Review of basic statistical concepts. Intensity fluctuations of thermal and laser light. Michelson interferometry, Wiener-Khinchin theorem, Young's experiment and the Van Cittert-Zernike theorem. Origins and statistics of optical noise. Comparison of various detection techniques. Includes two laboratory experiences.