Synthesis of electromagnetic Schell-model sources

A procedure for the synthesis of the most general electromagnetic Schell-model light source is proposed. It makes use of the generalized van Cittert-Zernike theorem to produce the electromagnetic source starting from a primary spatially incoherent source, characterized by a suitable position-dependent polarization matrix. By resorting to the spectral decomposition of the polarization matrix, it is shown how such an incoherent source can be synthesized by using a Mach-Zehnder interferometer, with suitable amplitude transmittances placed in its arms, fed by two mutually uncorrelated laser beams. Examples are given for the case of electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model sources. (C) 2009 Optical Society of Americ