Photonic time stretch fieldoscopy: single-shot electric field detection at near-petahertz bandwidth

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel photonic time-stretch fieldoscopy technique that enables real-time, single-shot detection of ultrafast electric fields at near-petahertz bandwidths, advancing ultrafast optical measurement capabilities.

Contribution

It presents a new method combining photonic time stretch with a nonlinear time lens for single-shot, broadband electric field detection at near-petahertz frequencies.

Findings

Achieves near-petahertz detection bandwidth.

Enables real-time, single-shot electric field measurement.

Provides sub-femtosecond temporal resolution.

Abstract

Accessing the electric field of light with petahertz bandwidths in ambient air is a rapidly advancing frontier, essential for probing ultrafast dynamics driven by classical or quantum ultrashort pulses. Near-petahertz fieldoscopy has recently demonstrated sub-cycle access to light-matter interactions, enabling label-free spectro-microscopy of liquids and solids with unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution, detection sensitivity, and dynamic range. However, current implementations still rely on temporal scanning and averaging over many laser pulses. Here, we introduce photonic time-stretch fieldoscopy, enabling single-shot electric-field detection at near-petahertz frequencies. Numerical results demonstrate that integrating fieldoscopy with a nonlinear time lens enables the real-time acquisition of ultrashort optical waveforms with a detection bandwidth approaching petahertz. The resulting large temporal aperture and attosecond resolution allow direct single-shot detection of transient electric fields generated in solid or liquid samples. This concept opens new avenues for petahertz electronics, ultrafast spectro-microscopy, and the study of dynamic, non-repetitive optical phenomena