Real-time measurement of temporal waveforms of a terahertz pulse using a probe pulse with a tilted pulse front

We propose a novel method that uses a femtosecond pulse with a tilted pulse front as a probe pulse to perform real-time measurement of temporal waveforms of a terahertz pulse. This method can operate on a single shot in principle. Real-time measurement of the terahertz pulse was achieved using the dynamic subtraction method with a synchronized high-speed complimentary metal-oxide semiconductor sensor. A time window of 2.6 ps was achieved. This value agrees well with results that were calculated theoretically and measured by an interferometric inverted field autocorrelator. (c) 2008 Optical Society of America.