BOAR: Biprism based optical autocorrelation with retrieval

A simple and compact single-shot autocorrelator is presented and analyzed in detail. The autocorrelator is composed of two elements only: a Fresnel biprism used to create two temporally delayed replicas of the pulse to characterize and a camera in which two-photon absorption takes place. The two-photon absorption signal obtained in the camera can be used to retrieve the pulse duration, the frequency chirp, and the pulse spectrum, provided that a Gaussian temporal shape is assumed. Thanks to its extreme simplicity, the autocorrelator is robust and easy to align. The presented design can theoretically characterize the pulse duration from about 25 fs to 1.5 ps in the two-photon spectral range of the camera (1200-2400 nm). Finally, a proof-of-principle demonstration is also performed at 3.1 mu m by using an InGaAs camera, whose two-photon spectral range is located further in the infrared (1800-3400 nm).