Spatio-temporal coupling of random electromagnetic pulses interacting with reflecting gratings

Matrix optics is applied to a class of random, in time and space, electromagnetic pulsed beam-like (REMPB) radiation interacting with linear optical elements. A 6 x 6. order matrix describing transformation of a six-dimensional state vector including four spatial and two temporal positions within the field is used to derive conditions for spatio-temporal coupling. An example is included which deals with a spatio-temporal coupling in a typical REMPB on reflection from a reflecting grating. Electromagnetic nature of such interaction is explored via considering dependence of the degree of polarization of the reflected REMPB on its source and on the structure of the grating. (C) 2010 Optical Society of America