Abstract

It has recently been shown that correlations between source fluctuations throughout the source region can lead to frequency shifts of spectral lines.^1,2 We consider the more general problem of modifying the spectrum of the emitted radiation by making a suitable choice of the degree of spatial coherence of the source. To illustrate the potential of this method we consider a simple configuration of two small sources emitting light with identical spectra. We demonstrate that some source correlations can generate multiple spectral lines from a single spectral line of either a Gaussian or Lorentzian profile. Spectral line-shape parameters such as width, amplitude, center frequency, and functional form can also be controlled.

© 1987 Optical Society of America