Spatio-temporal characterization of ultrashort laser beams: a tutorial

• Published in: Journal of optics (2010) Vol. 22; no. 10; pp. 103501 - 103533
• Main Authors: Jolly, Spencer W, Gobert, Olivier, Quéré, Fabien
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: IOP Publishing 01.10.2020; Institute of Physics (IOP)
• Subjects: characterization; metrology; Physics; Plasma Physics; spatio-temporal; ultrafast optics; ultrafast optics; plasma mirrors; strong-field quantum electrodynamics; metrology; ultraintense laser-matter interaction; characterization; attosecond light pulses; spatio-temporal
• ISSN: 2040-8978; 2040-8986
• DOI: 10.1088/2040-8986/abad08

The temporal characterization of ultrafast laser pulses has become a cornerstone capability of ultrafast optics laboratories and is routine both for optimizing laser pulse duration and designing custom fields. Beyond pure temporal characterization, spatio-temporal characterization provides a more complete measurement of the spatially-varying temporal properties of a laser pulse. These so-called spatio-temporal couplings (STCs) are generally nonseparable chromatic aberrations that can be induced by very common optical elements-for example, diffraction gratings and thick lenses or prisms made from dispersive material. In this tutorial we introduce STCs and a detailed understanding of their behavior in order to have a background knowledge, but also to inform the design of characterization devices. We then overview a broad range of spatio-temporal characterization techniques with a view to mention most techniques, but also to provide greater details on a few chosen methods. The goal is to provide a reference and a comparison of various techniques for newcomers to the field. Lastly, we discuss nuances of analysis and visualization of spatio-temporal data, which is an often underappreciated and non-trivial part of ultrafast pulse characterization.