Single-Shot Autocorrelator TIPA

TIPA is a single-shot autocorrelator for pulse-front tilt and pulse duration measurements of systems with ≤ 1 kHz repetition rate. Its unique design allows monitoring and measuring of the pulse duration as well as the pulse front tilt in both vertical and horizontal planes. Operation of TIPA is based on non-collinear second harmonic (SH) generation, where the spatial distribution of the SH beam contains information on the temporal shape of the fundamental pulse. The basic idea is that two replicas of a fundamental ultrashort pulse pass non‑collinearly through a nonlinear crystal, in which SH generation takes place. The SH beam width and tilt in a plane perpendicular to propagation provide information about the pulse duration and pulse front tilt.

This technique combines low background and single-shot measurement capabilities. The CCD camera carries out the SH beam sampling. TIPA comes with user-friendly software for direct monitoring of pulse properties.