Dispersive Fourier transformation for fast continuous single-shot measurements

Dispersive Fourier transformation is an emerging measurement technique that overcomes the speed limitations of traditional optical instruments and enables fast continuous single-shot measurements in optical sensing, spectroscopy and imaging. Using chromatic dispersion, dispersive Fourier transformation maps the spectrum of an optical pulse to a temporal waveform whose intensity mimics the spectrum, thus allowing a single-pixel photodetector to capture the spectrum at a scan rate significantly beyond what is possible with conventional space-domain spectrometers. Over the past decade, this method has brought us a new class of real-time instruments that permit the capture of rare events such as optical rogue waves and rare cancer cells in blood, which would otherwise be missed using conventional instruments. In this Review, we discuss the principle of dispersive Fourier transformation and its implementation across a wide range of diverse applications.