Abstract

The paper analyzes the action of an optical detector by using general phase-space (PS) concepts. First, the main PS concepts and the PS point of view on the optical radiometry are presented. The second section defines the detector: it is a device acting as a PS filter and subsequently as a convertor. The PS filtering is achieved by its accepted energy distribution function on PS. Provided its PS acceptance value is smaller than the PS emittance value of the measured field, the coherence properties of the latter are modified by the detector. Any of the accepted input represent radiometric quantities defined by using PS concepts. The output quantities of the detector are defined similarly as distributions in respect to different PS coordinates. The third section treats the ideal, noiseless detector and the effect of the noise. Generalized PS responsivities and generalized PS detectivities are introduced as quantities characterizing detectors. A linear detector convolves the input quantity to its own PS responsivity. Examples leading to usual detector characteristics are given. The measuring procedure is interpreted as a convolution between the PS distribution function representing the source and that of the detector.

© 1992 Optical Society of America