Moments of the Sum of Photocounts in Gaussian Light
Phys. Rev. A 6, 2237 – Published 1 December, 1972
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.6.2237
Abstract
The statistics of the sum of photocounts in partially coherent Gaussian light is investigated. Both the case of detection at discrete points and the case of an extended surface of detection are considered. The combinatorial-analysis approach is applied to derive the moments and cumulants of the distribution. They all can be expressed in terms of the second-order correlation function. The results are generally valid independent of the ratio of the observation time to the coherence time of light. A comparison between the theoretical moments and the moments computed from experimental distributions as a function of the detector surface is carried out with the help of a pseudothermal source.