Formation of spatial coherence of superluminescence in a dispersive medium

A theoretical and experimental investigation is reported of the formation of the spatial coherence of superluminescence in dispersive media. The theory is developed in the axial approximation for a given amplitude of a traveling population-inversion pulse. Asymptotic coherence characteristics are obtained for certain important limiting cases. The results are given of an experimental investigation of the spatial coherence of a superluminescent dye laser excited by single picosecond pulses. An analysis is made of the possibility of obtaining short-wavelength superluminescence radiation with a high degree of spatial coherence.