Theoretical analysis of Z-scan using one dimensional partially coherent beams

A theoretical analysis on Z-scan using Gaussian-Schell model beam is reported. The influences of aperture radius and degree of spatial coherence on the Z-scan curves are studied. It is found that the effect of aperture radius on the Z-scan curves is similar to the case of the fully coherent beams. It is also shown that the difference between peak and valley transmittance is getting larger with the increasing degree of spatial coherence till it stabilizes when the degree of spatial coherence is larger than a certain value. The results show that the Z-scan experiment with partially coherent beams may provide a feasible method for measuring the degree of spatial coherence.