Prof Peter Norreys FInstP;

Abstract:

The control of light’s various degrees of freedom underpins modern physics and technology, from quantum optics to telecommunications. Ultra-intense lasers represent the pinnacle of this control, concentrating light to extreme intensities where electrons oscillate at relativistic velocities within a single optical cycle. These extraordinary conditions offer unique opportunities to probe fundamental aspects of light-matter interactions and develop transformative applications. However, precise characterization of intense, ultrashort lasers has lagged behind our ability to generate them, creating a significant bottleneck in advancing laser science and its applications. Here we present the first single-shot vector field measurement technique for intense, ultrashort laser pulses that provides unprecedented insight into their complete spatio-temporal and polarization structure, including quantified uncertainties. Our method efficiently encodes the full vector field onto a two-dimensional detector by leveraging the inherent properties of these laser pulses, allowing for real-time characterization. We demonstrate its capabilities on systems ranging from high-repetition-rate oscillators to petawatt-class lasers, revealing subtle spatio-temporal couplings and polarization effects. This advancement bridges the gap between theory and experiment in laser physics, providing crucial data for simulations and accelerating the development of novel applications in high-field physics, laser-matter interactions, future energy solutions, and beyond.