Method and Apparatus for Measuring Optical Pulses
AssigneeMesa Photonics, LLC
InventorDaniel J Kane
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A pulse analysis system or method includes a frequency filter that receives an ultrafast pulse under test and disperses the pulse under test over a frequency range. The frequency filter separates the pulse under test into component frequency slices and provides the frequency slices to a detector coupled to a digitizer, which processes the digitized signal and collects a sonogram characteristic of the pulse under test. The frequency slices are arranged to overlap. Ptychography is performed on the sonogram to obtain characteristics of the pulse under test.
Claims23
A pulse analysis apparatus, comprising:
- a frequency filter that receives one or more pulses under test and disperses the one or more pulses under test over a total frequency range, the frequency filter passing a first pulse portion of a dispersed pulse under test at a first position, the first pulse portion extending over a first portion of the total frequency range, the frequency filter passing a second pulse portion of a dispersed pulse under test at a second position distinct from the first position, the second pulse portion extending over a second portion of the total frequency range;
- a detector coupled to receive output pulse portions from the frequency filter and output an electrical pulse signal corresponding to the one or more pulses under test;
- collection optics coupled to the frequency filter to direct the output pulse portions to the detector;
- and
- analysis electronics coupled to receive and digitize the electrical pulse signal, the analysis electronics storing a sonogram corresponding to the one or more pulses under test wherein the sonogram comprises sequences of digitized values of the electrical pulse signal, the digitized values within a sequence obtained at a number of time intervals, and the sequences obtained at a plurality of frequency ranges including the first and second portions of the total frequency range, each of the plurality of frequency ranges corresponding to at least one sequence of digitized values of the electrical pulse signal, and
- wherein the first portion of the total frequency range partially overlaps the second portion of the total frequency range, and wherein the analysis electronics is adapted to perform phase retrieval on the sonogram.
An ultrafast pulse analysis apparatus, comprising:
- a sampling system receiving at least one pulse under test, the sampling system defining a plurality of sampling bins each spanning a frequency range of the at least one pulse under test, the plurality of sampling bins arranged over different frequency ranges so that the plurality of sampling bins define a continuous frequency range over at least a portion of a total frequency range of the at least one pulse under test, adjacent ones of the sampling bins overlapping in frequency ranges;
- collection optics receiving a plurality of pulse portions, each pulse portion derived from the at least one pulse under test and having a frequency range corresponding to at least one of the sampling bins;
- one or more detectors coupled to receive the plurality of pulse portions from the collection optics and to output an electrical pulse signal corresponding to each of the plurality of pulse portions;
- and
- analysis electronics coupled to receive and digitize the electrical pulse signal, the analysis electronics storing a sonogram corresponding to the at least one pulse under test wherein the sonogram comprises sequences of digitized values of the electrical pulse signal at a plurality of time intervals, the digitized values within a sequence corresponding to the pulse portion defined by the at least one sampling bin,
- wherein the analysis electronics performs phase retrieval on the sonogram.
The ultrafast pulse analysis apparatus of claim ultrafast 11, wherein the sampling system comprises at least one array waveguide and the sampling system passes the plurality of pulse portions in parallel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.