Coherence length and bandwitdh

A finite spectral bandwidth results in some spectral decorrelation of the electric field emanating from a source: even with a true point source, you will only observe the interference phenomenon (mutual coherence of the field) over a finite range of optical path difference (OPD) that is constrained by the coherence length.

Coherence length: Λ₀ = λ²/Δλ

An purely monochromatic and phase-calibrated signal like the one coming out of a very good laser would exhibit an infinite coherence length, represented by the green curve plotted below.

Change the bandpass of the filter (here expressed as 1/R=Δλ/λ) to see its effect on the coherence length (the blue curve).

For a given bandpass (say 0.05 and 0.1), how many fringes can you make out in the fringe packet? How do the two quantities (bandpass, number of fringes) relate to each other?

This tool was developed as a part of the on-line course Eagle Eye Astronomy, hosted on the France Université Numérique website.