Sprecher
Beschreibung
The field structure of ultra-intense laser pulses plays a critical role in their applications. Spatiotemporal couplings (STCs), though often undetectable by traditional diagnostics, can significantly impact such pulses. Undesirable STCs may reduce the peak focused intensity, while deliberate STCs, such as those in the "flying focus," underpin advancements in structured light. Furthermore, as evidenced by a growing body of simulation-based literature, the polarisation state of the pulse also can add a valuable dimension of control and flexibility. A key barrier to the experimental realisation of these techniques of structuring ultra-intense light is the fact that no method currently exists to characterize the spatiotemporal vector field of individual ultra-intense pulses.
This challenge stems from the mismatch between the high dimensionality of the vector field and the two-dimensional nature of standard measurement devices like CMOS sensors. Consequently, existing techniques rely on taking multiple laser shots, causing them to be time consuming and blind to shot-to-shot fluctuations. Presented is the development and realisation of a robust method for the single-shot characterization of the spatiotemporal vector field, which also provides uncertainty estimates. Its efficacy is demonstrated by characterizing the ATLAS 3000 PW laser and vectorial pulses such as circularly polarised optical vortices. This technique holds promise for advancing structured light applications in ultra-intense laser physics.
