Intuitive model for the scintillations of a partially coherent beam

An intuitive model for the scintillation index of a partially coherent beam is developed in which essentially the only critical parameter is the properly defined Fresnel number equal to the ratio of the "working" aperture area to the area of the Fresnel zone. The model transpired from and is supported by numerical simulations using Rytov method for weak fluctuations regime and Tatarskii turbulence spectrum with inner scale. The ratio of the scintillation index of a partially coherent beam to that of a plane wave displays a characteristic minimum, the magnitude of which and its distance from the transmitter are easily explained using the intuitive model. A theoretical asymptotic is found for the scintillation index of a source with decreasing coherence at this minimum.