Method and device for photonic sampling of a test wave-form

A method for photonic sampling of a test-waveform, the method comprising:

• providing a sampling light pulse;
• generating a local oscillator by frequency multiplication of the sampling light pulse;
• generating a signal wave by frequency mixing of the sampling light pulse and the test-waveform in a solid nonlinear optical element, wherein the frequency multiplication of the sampling light pulse and the frequency mixing of the sampling light pulse and the test-waveform are selected such that the local oscillator and the signal wave are at least partly spectrally overlapping, wherein the nonlinear order of the wave-mixing process involved in generating the local oscillator is identical to the nonlinear order of the wave-mixing process involved in generating the signal wave;
• detecting an interference signal of the local oscillator and the signal wave for various time delays of the sampling light pulse with respect to the test-waveform;
• and
• determining a temporal evolution of at least one of an electric field of the test waveform and the envelope function of the test-waveform based on the detected interference signal.

A device for photonic sampling of a test-waveform, the device comprising:

• a delay stage for varying a temporal delay of a sampling light pulse with respect to the test-waveform;
• a solid nonlinear optical element for generating a local oscillator by frequency multiplication of the sampling light pulse and for generating a signal wave by frequency mixing photons of the test-waveform and the sampling light pulse such that the local oscillator and the signal wave are at least partly spectrally overlapping;
• a heterodyne detector for detecting an interference signal of the spectrally overlapping local oscillator and the signal wave for various temporal delays of the sampling light pulse with respect to the test-waveform,
• wherein the device is adapted to determine a temporal evolution of at least one of an electric field of the test waveform and the envelope function of the test-waveform based on the detected interference signal.