ABSTRACT
We demonstrate a simplified arrangement for spatiotemporal ultrashort pulse characterization called Hartmann– Shack assisted, multidimensional, shaper-based technique for electric-field reconstruction. It employs an acoustooptic pulse shaper in combination with a second-order nonlinear crystal and a Hartmann–Shack wavefront sensor. The shaper is used as a tunable bandpass filter, and the wavefronts and intensities of quasimonochromatic spectral slices of the pulse are obtained using the Hartmann–Shack wavefront sensor. The wavefronts and intensities of the spectral slices are related to one another using shaper-assisted frequency-resolved optical gating measurements, performed at particular points in the beam. This enables a three-dimensional reconstruction of the amplitude and phase of the pulse. We present some example pulse measurements and discuss the operating parameters of the device. © 2012 Optical Society of America