Partially coherent superoscillations in the Talbot effect

Abstract

Abstract Oscillations of a wavefield that are locally higher than the bandlimit of the field are known as superoscillations. Superoscillations have to date been studied primarily in coherent wavefields; here we look at superoscillations that appear in the phase of the correlation function in partially coherent Talbot carpets. Utilizing the Talbot effect, it is shown that superoscillations can be propagated into the far field, even under a decrease in spatial coherence. It is also shown that this decrease in spatial coherence can strengthen the superoscillatory behavior at the primary and secondary Talbot images.