Interferometer for spatial chirp characterization

A method comprising:

• receiving a spatially chirped light beam;
• splitting the spatially chirped light beam into a first light beam and a second light beam;
• spatially flipping the first light beam with respect to the second light beam;
• combining the spatially flipped first light beam and an altered second light beam into a third light beam;
• and
• determining a measurement of spatial chirp based on an interference fringe pattern of the third light beam.

An optical system for characterizing properties of a light beam, the system comprising:

• a first interferometer arrangement including a first optical element or set of optical elements, a second optical element or set of optical elements, and a third optical element or set of optical element,
• wherein,
• the first optical element or set of optical elements is configured to receive a light beam having spatially chirped pulses of light and split the light beam into a first light beam and a second light beam,
• the second optical element or set of optical elements is configured to receive the first light beam and add a delay in time to the first light beam thereby providing an altered first light beam,
• the third optical element or set of optical elements is configured to receive the second light beam and provide an altered second light beam;
• a second interferometer arrangement including the first optical element or set of optical elements, a second optical element or set of optical elements, and the third optical element or set of optical element,
• wherein,
• the first optical element or set of optical elements is configured to receive the light beam having spatially chirped pulses of light and split the light beam into the first light beam and the second light beam,
• the third optical element or set of optical elements is configured to receive the second light beam and provide the altered second light beam, and
• the second optical element or set of optical elements is configured to receive the first light beam and spatially flip the first light beam with respect to the altered second light beam thereby providing a second altered first light beam;
• and
• an imaging spectrometer configured to generate an interferogram based on the altered second light beam and the second altered first light beam, wherein a measurement of spatial chirp based on an interference fringe pattern in the interferogram is generated.