Coherent

Temporal Coherence
Correlation between the radiation field at a point and at different time

Say E(x, y, z, t1)

E(x, y, z, t2) point at x, y, z but time t1 and t2

Phase difference between the two field is constant during the period
then wave is said to be temporal coherence

Phase difference vary many times (for same interval of time)

ie irregular then - incoherent
Time coherence –each cycle of wave takes exactly same time to pass
a point in space ---means monochromatic
Correlation between the waves at one place at different
times, or along the path of a beam at a single instant, are
effectively the same thing, and are called "temporal
coherence".

Correlation between different places (but not along the

path) is called "spatial coherence".
 spatial Coherence
Space coherence requires that the waves not only are of
same frequency
But that they are in phase in space

A wave with a varying

profile (wavefront) and
A wave with infinite coherence area is infinite coherence length.
combined with a spatially shifted copy of
itself. Some sections in the wave interfere
constructively and some will interfere
destructively. Averaging over these sections,
a detector with length D will measure
reduced interference visibility.