Low temporal radiation coherence of noise-like pulses

Abstract It is quite well-known that coherence is an intrinsic property of laser radiation. However, after the advent of noise-like pulses, it turns out that the temporal coherence of their radiation is low and the electromagnetic field oscillations in adjacent noise-like pulses are not correlated. This work experimentally studies for the first time the degree of coherence of electromagnetic field oscillations inside a noise-like pulse. We measure the visibility of interference fringes at the exit from a Michelson interferometer when its optical path difference is scanned around zero up to and exceeding the length of the noise-like pulse. The experimental data indicate close to zero temporal coherence of radiation within noise-like pulses.