Randomness, determinism, and ignorance in coherence

Abstract

The effect of randomness and determinism on the coherence properties of light are studied in detail. As it is well known, a random field can have widely varying coherence properties. Here, it is shown that one can also produce a deterministic field with an arbitrarily low degree of coherence. The role of constant (non-random) fields are then considered, and some simulations with a toy model laser are presented. An interpretation of coherence as a measure of “ignorance” is presented.