Single-shot temporal envelope measurement of ultrashort extreme-UV pulses by spatially encoded transmission gating

Single-shot ultrashort extreme-UV(EUV) pulse waveform measurement is demonstrated by utilizing strong field ionization of H-2 gas for transmission gating. A cross-propagating intense near-IR gate pulse ionizes the EUV absorbing H-2 molecules into EUV-non-absorbing H2++ (two protons) and creates a time sweep of transmission encoded spatially across the EUV pulse. The temporal envelope is then retrieved from the lopsided spatial profile of the transmitted pulse. This method not only measures EUV temporal envelope for each single shot, but also determines timing jitter and envelope fluctuation statistically, thus is particularly useful for characterizing low-repetition-rate fluctuating EUV/soft x-ray sources. (C) 2015 Optical Society of America