TiPA is an invaluable tool for alignment of ultrashort pulse laser systems based on the chirped pulse amplification technique. Its unique design allows monitoring and measuring of the pulse duration as well as the pulse front tilt in both vertical and horizontal planes. TiPA is a straightforward and accurate direct pulse‑front tilt measurement tool. 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. This technique combines low background and single‑shot measurement capability.
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. SH beam’s width and tilt in a plane perpendicular to propagation provide information about the pulse duration and pulse front tilt.
The SH beam is sampled by the included CCD camera. TiPA comes with a user‑friendly software package, which provides on‑line monitoring of incoming pulse properties.
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