Intensity distribution in Young’s experiment with partially coherent Hermite-Gaussian beams

Taking the partially coherent Hermite-Gaussian(H-G) beam as a typical example, this paper studies the distribution of diffraction intensity and the visibility of interference fringes in Young’s two-slit set-up illuminated by the multi-mode partially coherent beam, where the Young’s interference experiment is regarded as a two-slit diffraction phenomenon. Numerical calculations show that, the spatial coherence parameter and mode orders of partially coherent beams, and the obstruction ratio of the two-slit set-up all have some effect on the distribution of the diffraction intensity (i.e. interference pattern) and the visibility of the interference fringes. With the coherence of the partially coherent beams increasing, destructive interference may appear on the axis when the mode orders of