Single-shot tomographic movies of evolving light-velocity objects

Abstract

Tomography—cross-sectional imaging based on measuring radiation transmitted through an object along different directions—enables non-invasive imaging of hidden stationary objects, such as internal bodily organs, from their sequentially measured projections. Here we adapt tomographic methods to visualize—in one laser shot—the instantaneous structure and evolution of a laser-induced object propagating through a transparent Kerr medium. We reconstruct ‘movies’ of a laser pulse’s diffraction, self-focusing and filamentation from phase ‘streaks’ imprinted onto probe pulses that cross the main pulse’s path simultaneously at different angles. Multiple probes are generated and detected compactly and simply, making the system robust, easy to align and adaptable to many problems. Our technique could potentially visualize, for example, plasma wakefield accelerators, optical rogue waves or fast ignitor pulses, light-velocity objects, whose detailed space–time dynamics are known only through intensive computer simulations.

A review of snapshot multidimensional optical imaging: Measuring photon tags in parallel

“…The first strategy utilizes active pulse illumination to provide temporal resolution. Representative techniques include sequentially timed all-optical mapping photography (STAMP) [26] and frequency-domain streak tomography [199]. The second strategy is based on passive imaging and therefore does not need a specialized light source.…”

“…Frequency-domain tomography (FDT) is an interferometry-based ultrafast imaging technique [199] that shares the concept of frequency-domain holography [205] and frequency-domain streak photography [206], which were previously developed by the same research group. FDT generates multiple probe pulses in a cascaded four-wave mixing process and then illuminates the object (a 3 mm thick glass) with these pulses at five different incident angles (Fig.…”

Ultrafast optical imaging technology: principles and applications of emerging methods

“…Recently, a frequency-domain tomography (FDT) [8,28] has been used to overcome SMT's limitation that while SMT can acquire a tomographic image in a single shot, it cannot perform ultrafast repetitive tomographic image acquisition due to the limited scan rate of the spectrometer (more specifically, the CCD image sensor in the spectrometer), which is typically 100 to 10 kHz. In this method, a chirped light beam is irradiated onto an object at certain incidence angles and their spatiotemporal profile is obtained by spectral interference ( Figure 6C) [29].…”

“…Unfortunately, conventional cameras based on electronic image sensors, such as the charge-coupled device (CCD) and complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS), fall short in providing such high frame rates under desirable imaging conditions, as their image acquisition speed is significantly constrained by their electrical operation and limited storage. Over the recent years, several unique and unconventional approaches to high-speed optical imaging have been reported to circumvent these technical hurdles and achieve a frame rate and shutter speed far beyond what can be reached with the conventional image sensors [5][6][7][8][9][10]. Serial time-encoded amplified imaging / microscopy (STEAM) [5,11] is a continuous imaging method with a built-in optical image amplifier that enables continuous image acquisition at a high frame rate of~100 Mfps without sacrificing sensitivity.…”

Summary report of Working Group 5: Beam and radiation generation, monitoring and control

“…The student prize for WG5 was assigned to Z. Li which presented a nice talk on the single-shot tomographic visualization of laser-or beam-driven plasma wakefield accelerators [24]. In this diagnostic scheme, which is an expansion of frequency domain holography, an array of probe beams at different angles is used to obtain a full movie of evolving index structures.…”