Chinese Optics Letters, Volume. 23, Issue 10, (2025)

Propagation of Airy beams on incoherent background through atmospheric turbulence [Early Posting]

Hajati Morteza, Xu Zhiheng, Cao Tianyu, Ponomarenko Sergey A.
Author Affiliations
  • Dalhousie University
  • Jining University
  • Shandong Normal University
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    We numerically demonstrate that a recently discovered and experimentally realized class of partially coherent Airy beams atop incoherent background remains robust during propagation through a statistically homogeneous isotropic random medium, such as the turbulent atmosphere. We show that these Airy beams on incoherent background, which are propagation-invariant in free space, can mitigate turbulence-induced intensity fluctuations under both weak and strong turbulence conditions. We utilize a pseudo-modal decomposition to numerically model the intensity distribution of these beams, with the results that agree well with analytical predictions. Additionally, we show that, compared to their fully coherent counterparts, Airy beams on incoherent background better preserve their spatial structure under turbulence, making them promising candidates for modern optical communication through atmospheric turbulence.

    Paper Information

    Manuscript Accepted: May. 22, 2025

    Posted: May. 30, 2025

    DOI: 10.3788/COL202523.100003