We present a method to determine the degree of temporal coherence of a quasimonochromatic vectorial light beam by polarimetric measurements. More specifically, we employ Michelson’s interferometer in which the polarization Stokes parameters of the output (interference) beam are measured as a function of the time delay. Such a measurement enables us to deduce the magnitudes of the coherence (two-time) Stokes parameters, and hence the degree of coherence, of the input beam. Compared to existing methods the current technique has the benefits that neither optical elements in the arms of the interferometer nor visibility measurements are needed. The method is demonstrated with a laser diode and a filtered halogen source of various degrees of polarization.

中文翻译：

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电磁光束时间相干性的偏振测量

我们提出了一种通过偏振测量来确定准单色矢量光束的时间相干度的方法。更具体地说，我们采用迈克尔逊干涉仪，其中输出（干涉）光束的偏振斯托克斯参数作为时间延迟的函数进行测量。这种测量使我们能够推断出输入光束的相干（两倍）斯托克斯参数的大小，从而推断出相干程度。与现有方法相比，当前技术的优点是既不需要干涉仪臂中的光学元件，也不需要可见度测量。该方法通过激光二极管和不同偏振度的过滤卤素源进行演示。