Propagation of partially coherent light through a light pipe.

In laser projection applications, laser light modules are often combined with rotating diffusers in order to reduce the appearance of speckle on the projection screen. The rotation of a diffuser in a laser beam generates a beam of partially coherent light. Propagation of this light through the different optical components constituting the laser projector is thus essential when investigating the appearance of speckle. In this paper, a computationally efficient simulation model is presented to propagate partially coherent light through a homogenizing rectangular light pipe. The light pipe alters the coherence properties of the light and different consequences are discussed. The outcomes of the simulation model are experimentally verified using a reversing wavefront Michelson interferometer.