The Effect of Partial Coherence on the Statistics of Single-Photon Pulses Propagating in the Atmosphere
arXiv:quant-ph/0702238
Abstract
The photon density operator function is used to describe the propagation of single-photon pulses through a turbulent atmosphere. The effects of statistical properties of photon source and the effects of a random phase screen on the variance of photon counting are studied. A procedure for reducing the total noise is discussed. The physical mechanisms responsible for this reduction are explained.
14 pages, 3 figures