title: Starch-based second-harmonic-generated collinear frequency-resolved optical gating pulse characterization at the focal plane of a high-numerical-aperture lens.
abstract: We report the use of starch as an ideal nonlinear medium with which to perform collinear frequency-resolved optical gating measurements of ultrashort pulses at the focal plane of a high-numerical-aperture (NA) lens. We achieved these measurements by simply sandwiching starch granules (suspended in water) between two coverslips and placing them within the focal plane of a high-NA lens. The natural nonlinear characteristics of starch allow the correct phase matching of pulses at the focal plane of a high-NA lens at different wavelengths. This elegant arrangement overcomes all the complexity and problems that were previously associated with pulse characterization within a multiphoton microscope.
authors.affiliation: Ultrafast Imaging Group, ICFO-Institut de Ciències Fotòniques, Jordi Girona, 29, Nexus II, 08034 Barcelona, Spain. ivan.amat@icfo.es
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Amat-Roldán
authors.forename: Iain G
authors.initials: IG
authors.lastname: Cormack
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Loza-Alvarez
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Artigas