Measuring ultrashort laser pulses among the shortest events ever created in optics - has been a more difficult challenge for scientists than developing techniques for creating them. An EU-funded project successfully developed a high-performance photonic device that can provide novel approaches enabling the agile identification of ultrashort optical pulses in their complex nature.
Ultrashort optical pulses form an increasingly important tool for areas ranging from communications to medical science and engineering where extreme precision is required. Whether it is the ability to deliver extremely high instantaneous powers or the duration that makes these pulses critical to applications, the ability to characterise their electric field dynamics in time or frequency will extend the reliability of current ultrafast optical techniques.
Further details: New research enlightens on ultrafast dynamics