M2-factor of coherent and partially coherent dark hollow beams propagating in turbulent atmosphere

Analytical formula is derived for the M-2-factor of coherent and partially coherent dark hollow beams (DHB) in turbulent atmosphere based on the extended Huygens-Fresnel integral and the second-order moments of the Wigner distribution function. Our numerical results show that the M-2-factor of a DHB in turbulent atmosphere increases on propagation, which is much different from its invariant properties in free-space, and is mainly determined by the parameters of the beam and the atmosphere. The relative M-2-factor of a DHB increases slower than that of Gaussian and flat-topped beams on propagation, which means a DHB is less affected by the atmospheric turbulence than Gaussian and flat-topped beams. Furthermore, the relative M-2-factor of a DHB with lower coherence, longer wavelength and larger dark size is less affected by the atmospheric turbulence. Our results will be useful in long-distance free-space optical communications. (C) 2009 Optical Society of America