Direct space-time characterization of the electric-field of ultrashort optical pulses

We report the complete spatio-temporal characterization of ultrashort light pulses using a self-referencing device based on shearing interferometry in the space and frequency domains. The apparatus combines a spatially resolved spectral shearing interferometer with a spectrally-resolved spatial shearing interferometer. 

The electric field as a function of one transverse spatial coordinate and time is obtained from a single experimental trace by means of a direct and fast algebraic phase reconstruction algorithm. The method has been tested in several common laboratory situations.