A simple and effective method for femtosecond spectral snapshots

The authors have measured nonlinear refractive indices and two-photon absorption coefficients of cubic crystals of SrTiO3, Yttrium-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) and MgO, and SFS1 glass by z-scan technique. We evaluated their capabilities for an optical Kerr gate of femtosecond spectral snapshots of weak luminescence. It was found that the Kerr efficiency of SrTiO3 is about six times higher than that of SFS1 glass. (Our previous study showed that SFS1 glass is the most suitable Kerr-gate material.) We have also investigated the suitable configuration and combination of the system components, by comparing observed time-resolved luminescence spectra of β-carotene solution with simulations.