= Polarization overlap in interferometric visibility
{title2=$\mathcal V=2\sqrt{I_1I_2}|\mathbf e_1^\dagger\mathbf e_2|/(I_1+I_2)$}
For perfectly temporally coherent beams with unit <Jones vectors> $\mathbf e_1,\mathbf e_2$, their interference term is proportional to the complex inner product $\mathbf e_1^\dagger\mathbf e_2$. Their <interferometric visibility> is the displayed expression. Equal beam <light intensities> reduce it to the magnitude of the polarization overlap. Two <linear polarizations> at relative angle $\theta$ give $|\cos\theta|$; a linear and a <circular polarization> give $1/\sqrt2$. Perfect coherence does not remove loss of contrast from unequal intensities or orthogonal polarizations.
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