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Conservation laws for partially coherent waves

Mengdi Li

Hugo F. Schouten

Taco D. Visser*

  • Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Light Field Manipulation Physics and Applications, School of Physics and Optoelectronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China

  • Department of Physics and Astronomy, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

  • Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Light Field Manipulation Physics and Applications, School of Physics and Optoelectronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China and Department of Physics and Astronomy, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

  • *Contact author: t.d.visser@vu.nl
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Phys. Rev. A 114, 022211 – Published 18 August, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/3qgq-1zjf

Abstract

We examine the conservation law of coherence which, for partially coherent scalar wave fields, connects a coherence density to a coherence flux. A relation is established between this law and the law of energy conservation. In addition, the physical meaning of the coherence density and its associated flux is clarified. Our findings are illustrated by analyzing partially coherent fields in the focal region of a converging lens.

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Phys. Rev. A 114, 022211– Published 18 August, 2026
  • Received 31 March 2026
  • Accepted 28 July 2026
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