Optical spatial coherence-induced changes of Shannon entropy of a light beam in turbulence

Abstract

Shannon entropy serves as a standardized metric for quantifying disorder. This study investigates the impact of optical spatial coherence on the Shannon entropy of light beams propagating through a turbulent atmosphere. Our findings indicate that light beams with low coherence initially exhibit high disorder, and turbulence further increases their disorder. Interestingly, these beams demonstrate an ability to reduce disorder as they propagate, thereby enhancing beam quality. Furthermore, decreasing the initial coherence of a light beam effectively improves its ability to mitigate disorder in turbulence. This highlights optical coherence engineering as an effective strategy to mitigate the adverse effects of turbulence.