Abstract
In this paper we develop a theoretical description of the correlations between ultracold bosons after free expansion from confinement in an optical lattice. We consider the system evolution during expansion and give criteria for a far-field regime. We develop expressions for first and second order two-point correlations based on a variety of commonly used approximations to the many-body state of the system including Bogoliubov, mean-field decoupling, and particle-hole perturbative solution about the perfect Mott-insulator state. Using these approaches we examine the effects of quantum depletion and pairing on the system correlations. Comparison with the directly calculated correlation functions is used to justify a Gaussian form of our theory from which we develop a general three-dimensional formalism for inhomogeneous lattice systems suitable for numerical calculations of realistic experimental regimes.