Single-shot Ultrafast Imaging via Spatiotemporal Division of Femtosecond Laser Pulses

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel single-shot ultrafast imaging method using spatiotemporal division of femtosecond laser pulses, enabling real-time capture of femtosecond phenomena with high temporal resolution.

Contribution

It presents a new optical pump-probe technique employing mirror arrays for simultaneous multi-time imaging of ultrafast events.

Findings

Successfully captured femtosecond ionization fronts in air

Imaged laser-induced ablation of solids

Demonstrated real-time ultrafast event imaging

Abstract

We have developed a single-shot imaging technique that can capture ultrafast events occurring on femtosecond to picosecond time scales. The technique is based on an optical pump-probe method, in which multiple time-delayed femtosecond pulses simultaneously probe a pump-excited sample. Here we use two sets of 2-by-2 mirror arrays for spatial/temporal division and routing of multiple probe pulses. This single-shot scheme is successfully applied to capture femtosecond ionization fronts propagating at the speed of light in air, as well as laser-induced ablation of solid targets.