Linear measurement of ultrashort light pulses by phase-contrast optical sweep

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Abstract
A novel passive method is described that provides a linear time measurement of picosecond and subpicosecond light pulses in a single shot. The method consists of the measurement, by a phase-contrast technique, of the phase shift introduced to the signal by a pump pulse propagating transversally in a medium presenting an optical Kerr nonlinearity. By adequate spatial filtering the temporal resolution may be brought below that otherwise established by the pump pulse.