Upconversion time microscope demonstrating 103[times] magnification of femtosecond waveforms

We present the operational principles and results of a temporal imaging system, configured as a time microscope, that achieves 103[times] magnification of waveforms with 300-fs resolution and a 5.7-ps field of view. The quadratic-phase time-lens element is realized by upconversion of the dispersed input waveform with a linearly chirped 5-THz bandwidth pump. The system allows expansion of ultrafast optical waveforms to a time scale that is directly accessible with slower conventional technology, in real time, on a single-shot basis. [copyright] [ital 1999] [ital Optical Society of America]