Evolution of intensity distribution of partially coherent Hermite-Gaussian beams in slant atmospheric turbulence

Based on the extended Huygens-Fresnel principle, taking the partially coherent Hermite-Gaussian (HG) beam as a typical example of partially coherent beams, the explicit expressions for the average intensity of partially coherent HG beams propagating through slant atmospheric turbulence are derived, and used to study the propagation properties of partially coherent HG beams in horizontal and slant atmospheric turbulence. It is shown that the evolution of partially coherent HG beams along a horizontal path is faster than that along a slant path, and smaller beam orders m, n is faster than that larger m, n. The spreading of partially coherent HG beams along a horizontal path is larger than that along a slant path in the long atmospheric propagation. The validity of our results is interpreted physically.