2-FREQUENCY MUTUAL COHERENCE FUNCTION OF A GAUSSIAN-BEAM PULSE IN WEAK OPTICAL TURBULENCE - AN ANALYTIC SOLUTION

Pulse propagation in a random medium is studied through the calculatio n of the two-frequency mutual coherence function. An exact integral re presentation is formulated for the two-frequency mutual coherence func tion of a Gaussian beam pulse propagating in a weakly fluctuating rand om medium. Based on the modified von Karman spectrum for refractive-in dex fluctuations, an analytic approximation to the integral representa tion is presented and compared with exact numerical results. (C) 1996 Optical Society of America