Thermal Light as a Mixture of Sets of Pulses: the Quasi-1D Example

TL;DR

This paper investigates whether thermal light in a quasi-one-dimensional wave-guide can be represented as a mixture of sets of pulses, providing a new perspective on its fundamental structure.

Contribution

It introduces a convex decomposition of thermal light into sets of localized, nonmonochromatic modes, expanding understanding of thermal light's representation.

Findings

Thermal light cannot be represented as a mixture of single pulses.

Thermal light can be expressed as a mixture of sets of pulses in a wave-guide.

The decomposition involves orthonormal coherent states of localized modes.

Abstract

The relationship between thermal light and coherent pulses is of fundamental and practical interest. We now know that thermal light cannot be represented as a statistical mixture of single pulses. In this paper we ask whether or not thermal light can be represented as a statistical mixture of sets of pulses. We consider thermal light in a one-dimensional wave-guide, and find a convex decomposition into products of orthonormal coherent states of localized, nonmonochromatic modes.