Dispersive temporal holography for single-shot recovering comprehensive ultrafast dynamics

Abstract It is critical to characterize the carrier and instantaneous frequency distribution variation in ultrafast processes, all of which are determined by the optical phase. Nevertheless, there is no method that can single-shot record the intro-pulse phase evolution of pico/femtosecond signals, to date. By analogizing holographic principle in space to the time domain and using the time-stretch method, we propose the dispersive temporal holography to single-shot recover the phase and amplitude of ultrafast signals. It is a comprehensive technology and can be applied to analyze ultrafast signals with highly complex dynamics. Encouraged by the accurate restoration of self-similar amplification of parabolic pulses, we track rogue wave and breathers' formation and evolution. The details of rogue waves emerging from the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam-Tsingou recurrence and chaotic modulation instability were experimentally demonstrated for the first time. The method provides a powerful tool for exploring ultrafast science, which may benefit many fields, including laser dynamics, ultrafast diagnostics, nonlinear optics, and so on.