Single-shot ultrafast optical imaging

Single-shot ultrafast optical imaging can capture two-dimensional transient scenes in the optical spectral range at >= 100 million frames per second. This rapidly evolving field surpasses conventional pump-probe methods by possessing real-time imaging capability, which is indispensable for recording nonrepeatable and difficult-to-reproduce events and for understanding physical, chemical, and biological mechanisms. In this mini-review, we survey state-of-the-art single-shot ultrafast optical imaging comprehensively. Based on the illumination requirement, we categorized the field into active-detection and passive-detection domains. Depending on the specific image acquisition and reconstruction strategies, these two categories are further divided into a total of six subcategories. Under each subcategory, we describe operating principles, present representative cutting-edge techniques, with a particular emphasis on their methodology and applications, and discuss their advantages and challenges. Finally, we envision prospects for technical advancement in this field. (C) 2018 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement