A quantum phase space formulation of radiative transfer

A recent transport model for partially coherent light is reexamined. In its original formulation, this model involves a transport equation for the one-photon Wigner function with nonlocal source and loss terms. We show here that under suitable approximations this equation can be reformulated in a compact form involving the Moyal star product and the related symmetric and antisymmetric brackets. This formulation provides a general framework for the establishment of opacity models accounting for radiation coherence. An investigation of anomalous dispersion in magnetic fusion plasma conditions is reported as an illustration of the model.