Opt Express 2010 Sep 27;1820:20900-11. doi: 10.1364/OE.18.020900.

Spatio-temporal characterization of ultrashort pulses diffracted by circularly symmetric hard-edge apertures: theory and experiment.

Abstract
We carry out a complete spatio-temporal characterization of the electric field of an ultrashort laser pulse after passing through a diffractive optical element composed of several binary amplitude concentric rings. Analytical expressions for the total diffraction field in the time and spectral domain are provided, using the Rayleigh-Sommerfeld formulation of the diffraction. These expressions are experimentally validated. The spatio-temporal amplitude and phase structure of the pulse are measured at different planes beyond the diffractive optical element using spatially-resolved spectral interferometry assisted by an optical fiber coupler (STARFISH). Our results allow corroborating theoretical predictions on the presence of multiple pulses or complex spectral distributions due to the diffraction-induced effects by the hard-edge ring apertures.

PubMed ID: 20940985
Article link: Opt Express