ECE244A

Statistical Optics

Students on the last day of ECE244A (Spring, 2024). We were hard pressed to think of one equation to sum up the quarter, so we chose $$\tau_c = \frac{1}{B}$$,
denoting the fundamental relationship between coherence time and bandwidth.

This upper-level graduate course, roughly offered every two years, covers the statistical theory of light. Topics include:

  • Theory of random variables and random processes
  • Fundamental distributions
  • Relationship between statistical optics and statistical mechanics
  • Poisson processes
  • Shot noise and photodetection, consequences for telecommunications
  • Poisson Transform for mapping between wave and photon theories of light
  • Statistics of lasers and amplifiers - derivation of laser linewidth function
  • Statistical theory of polarization optics
  • Spatial coherence
  • Effects of spatial coherence on imaging systems

Texts:

  1. G. Papen and R. Blahut, “Lightwave Communications”, 1st Edition, Cambridge University Press, 2019.
  2. J.W. Goodman, “Statistical Optics”, 2nd Edition, Wiley, 2015.

This is a very fun class, with very deep ideas about optics that are not found in most university curricula. This was last taught in Spring, 2024.