Characterization of a femtosecond kHz amplifier chain by spectral shearing interferometry

Summary form only given. In a chirped-pulse amplification laser chain, as the spectral phase added by the stretcher and the group-velocity dispersion in all the materials is imperfectly compensated by the compressor, the output pulse is distorted by the residual phase, and its duration and contrast are not optimal. There is thus a need for an efficient characterization of the pulses in order to optimize the system or control a programmable spectral phase modulator. Spectral shearing interferometry is demonstrated as a powerful technique for measuring the amplitude and phase of ultrashort optical pulses. Its implementation is simple, and the phase retrieval from the data is straightforward.