  Coherence properties of the infrared thermal radiation from individual heated
nanowires are investigated as function of nanowire dimensions. Interfering the
thermally induced radiation from a heated nanowire with its image in a nearby
moveable mirror, well-defined fringes are observed. From the fringe visibility,
the coherence length of the thermal emission radiation from the narrowest
nanowires was estimated to be at least 20 um which is much larger than expected
from a classical blackbody radiator. A significant increase in coherence and
emission efficiency is observed for smaller nanowires.
