Generation of Vector Partially Coherent Optical Sources Using Phase-Only Spatial Light Modulators

Partially coherent beams (PCBs) of light can be highly directional, as from lasers, yet resistant to speckle and scintillation, as from LEDs. Generating PCBs with separate optical components for beam shaping and spatial coherence is complicated, and fundamentally limited. The authors control both shape and coherence using liquid-crystal spatial light modulators, and can produce two different classes of PCBs using the same simple optical setup. This work is immediately applicable in such diverse fields as medicine, directed energy, free-space optical communication, and manufacturing.