Super-intense laser pulses captured in real time

The new technique , which has enabled the capture of super-intense laser pulses in a single shot and in real time for the first time, promises to have a significant impact on many important fields, from the search for new physics to the pursuit of fusion energy. Until now, existing techniques typically required hundreds of laser shots to assemble a complete image. The result, published in the journal Nature Photonics by a research team led by the University of Oxford and the Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Germany, could revolutionize the ability to control the interactions between light and matter .

The researchers, led by Andreas Döpp of Oxford and Ludwig-Maximilian, achieved this feat using a method that splits the laser beam in two : one part is used to measure how the color, and therefore the wavelength, changes over time, while the other is passed through a specific material. The characteristics of the laser pulse are recorded by a grid of microlenses , and finally, an optical sensor stores the information in a single image , from which a computer can reconstruct the complete structure.

"Our approach allows, for the first time, to capture an ultra-intense laser pulse in real time," says Sunny Howard of both universities, lead author of the study. "This not only provides unprecedented insights into laser-matter interactions, but also opens the possibility of optimizing high-power laser systems in a way previously impossible," he says. "Not only that," adds co-author Peter Norreys of Oxford, "it also has the potential to accelerate progress in a wide range of applications, pushing the boundaries of laser science and laser-based technology."