Independent-elementary-field model for three-dimensional spatially partially coherent sources.

The independent-elementary-source model recently developed for planar sources [Opt. Express 14, 1376 (2006)] is extended to volume source distributions. It is shown that the far-field radiation pattern is independent of the three-dimensional (3D) distribution of the coherent elementary sources, but the absolute value of the complex degree of spectral coherence is determined by the 3D Fourier transform of the weight function of the elementary fields.