Frequency-resolved high-harmonic wavefront characterization

We introduce and demonstrate a novel concept of frequency-resolved wavefront characterization. Our approach is particularly suitable for high-harmonic, extreme-UV (XUV) and soft X-ray radiation. The concept is based on an analysis of radiation diffracted from a slit scanned in front of a flat-field XUV spectrometer. With the spectrally resolved signal spread across one axis and the spatially resolved diffraction pattern in the other dimension, we reconstruct the wavefront. While demonstrated for high harmonics, the method is not restricted in wavelength. (C) 2009 Optical Society of America