= Higher order coherence
{wiki=Higher_order_coherence}
Higher order coherence refers to the statistical properties of light (or other fields) that go beyond the second-order autocorrelation, which is typically used to describe intensity fluctuations of classical and quantum light sources. In classical optics, coherence is often described using first-order and second-order coherence measures. 1. **First-order coherence** relates to the phase relation between light waves and is typically expressed through the complex degree of coherence. It is crucial for phenomena such as interference.
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