Light Fluctuations as a New Spectroscopic Tool

摘要

A summary is given of a lecture on basic concepts relating to the theory of light fluctuations, features which distinguish the fluctuation properties of thermal and laser light, and new techniques for obtaining information about spectra from fluctuation and correlation measurements. In particular, methods depending on beat phenomena, photo-electric mixing experiments, intensity correlation interferometry, photon coincidence experiments and pulse counting techniques will be reviewed and the possibility of obtaining spectral information from statistical studies of transient interference patterns are considered. Current researches relating to the determination of the phase of the second order complex degree of coherence are discussed. The concept of higher order spectra is explained and the possibility of obtaining some information about them from multiple photon coincidence experiments is mentioned. (Extracted)