Adjusting pulse-front tilt and pulse duration by use of a single-shot autocorrelator

We present a method of adjusting the pulse duration and eliminating the pulse-front tilt of an ultrashort pulse in real time by use of a specially configured single-shot autocorrelator. Pulse-front tilt, or a temporal delay across the pulse front, is a common ultrashort-pulse phenomenon when dispersive elements are being used. We show the design of an autocorrelator that can be used to eliminate the pulse-front tilt and simultaneously adjust the pulse duration in real time by adjustment of the pulse compressor of a chirped-pulse amplified laser system. (C) 2001 Optical Society of America.