High Power Laser Science and Engineering, Volume. , Issue , ()

Spatiotemporal characterization of pulse pedestals by imaging 2D Self-Referenced Spectral Interferometry [Early Posting]

Oksenhendler Thomas, Bock Stefan, Gebahrdt René, Helbig Uwe, Chang Yen-Yu, Dreyer Jörn, Toncian Toma, Schramm Ulrich
Author Affiliations
  • iTEOX
  • Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf
  • Amplitude Laser Group
  • HZDR
  • Technische Universitat Dresden
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    The temporal contrast requirements for high-power laser pulses have become increasingly stringent with rising irradiance levels. Over the past decade, in addition to discrete pre-pulses, spatiotemporal pulse pedestals have attracted significant attention as a major limiting factor for contrast quality in chirped-pulse amplification systems, primarily caused by imperfections in their stretching and compression optics. In this work, we present the first direct measurement of these contributions in the spatiotemporal domain using an imaging spectrometer in combination with a two-dimensional self- referenced spectral interferometer.

    Paper Information

    Manuscript Accepted: Aug. 25, 2025

    Posted: Sep. 29, 2025

    DOI: HPL-0155