Q-switched partially coherent lasers with controllable spatial coherence

Abstract

We develop a Q-switched degenerate laser, delivering a partially coherent light pulse of duration about 16 ns. The spatial coherence of the output laser pulse can be varied by tuning the spatial filter inside the laser resonator, and the oscillating transverse mode structure can be determined by measuring the degree of coherence of the output laser pulse. It is shown that the larger is the diameter of the spatial filter, the more are the oscillating transverse modes, and the lower is the degree of coherence. Based on coherent-mode representation for the partially coherent source, we can estimate the transverse mode contribution to the output partially coherent laser. The experimental results on suppressing speckle demonstrate that the generated partially coherent light possesses the characteristics of rapid reduction of spatial coherence, making it an ideal source for high-speed imaging and ranging applications.