title: Direct space time-characterization of the electric fields of ultrashort optical pulses.
abstract: We report the complete spatiotemporal characterization of ultrashort light pulses by use of a self-referencing device based on shearing interferometry in the space and frequency domains. The apparatus combines a spatially resolved spectral shearing interferometer with a spectrally resolved spatial shearing interferometer. The electric field as a function of one transverse spatial coordinate and time is obtained from a single experimental trace by means of a direct and fast algebraic phase reconstruction algorithm. The method has been tested in several common laboratory situations.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dorrer
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Kosik
authors.forename: I A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Walmsley