Space-time coupling in femtosecond pulse shaping and its effects on coherent control

We present a Fourier optical analysis of a typical femtosecond pulse shaping apparatus and derive analytic expressions for the space-time dependence of the emerging waveform after the pulse shaper and in the focal volume of an additional focusing element. For both geometries the results are verified experimentally. Hereafter, we analyze the influence of space-time coupling on nonlinear processes, specifically second harmonic generation, resonant interaction with an atomic three-level system, and resonant excitation of a diatomic molecule.