Beam Characterization
Our lab uses structured laser pulses such as simultaneously spatially and temporally focused (SSTF) ultrafast pulses and orbital angular momentum (OAM) beams to drive and investigate physical processes. In order to fully understand the results of experiments using these beams, we need to know exactly the structure of the laser beam that produces the effects in the experiment. There are a number of aspects to the structure that are important: the intensity, phase and polarization distributions. These parameters can vary in both spatial and temporal domains, so the characterization is extremely challenging. In collaboration with Prof. Dan Adams, we are developing techniques to characterize our beams both spatially and temporally in order to improve our lasers operation, and to improve the quality of our experiments.