Coherence Constraints and the Last Hidden Optical Coherence

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new fundamental domain of optical coherence, forming a triad with existing types, unified by complementarity relations, and demonstrates experimental entry using a novel tomographic method.

Contribution

It reports the discovery of a new optical coherence domain, completing a fundamental triad and developing a novel tomographic approach for its experimental investigation.

Findings

Identification of a new coherence domain in optics

Development of a tomographic method for experimental access

Formulation of coherence complementarity relations

Abstract

We have discovered a new domain of optical coherence, and show that it is the third and last member of a previously unreported fundamental triad of coherences. These are unified by our derivation of a parallel triad of coherence constraints that take the form of complementarity relations. We have been able to enter this new coherence domain experimentally and we describe the novel tomographic approach devised for that purpose.