Broadband pump-probe imaging spectroscopy applicable to ultrafast single-shot events

We propose a scheme for frequency-resolved single-shot spectroscopy with an echelon mirror. The echelon mirror is employed to generate spatially encoded time delays for the white-light continuum probe beam; it produces a temporal step of 66 fs and an overall time delay of 33 ps. We demonstrate broadband pump-probe imaging spectroscopy and present time-frequency two-dimensional images of the transient absorption of beta-carotene between 420 and 630 nm with single-shot detection. The results show that this technique is a powerful tool for observing the ultrafast, broadband transient dynamics of materials that exhibit irreversible reactions or deterioration by laser pulse irradiation. (C) 2014 The Japan Society of Applied Physics