Streak Camera System Research Articles

Stable ultrashort laser diode pulse generator

The design and operation of a stable ultrashort light pulse generator using a GaAlAs single heterostructure laser diode is presented. The unit is capable of generating optical pulses at a wavelength of 820 nm as narrow as 60 ps full width at half maximum (FWHM) at pulse repetition rates up to 10 kHz with a peak power of 3 W. The light pulses are emitted from a flexible light pipe with relatively small jitter of less than ±10 ps. Single pulses without any subpulses were confirmed by direct measurements using a streak camera system having a temporal resolution of better than 10 ps. This generator will find applications in the study and evaluation of time characteristics of fast photodetectors, optoelectronic devices, etc.

Recent developments in picosecond streak camera systems

A simple, compact, high performance streak camera system, using a new streak tube with a microchannel plate as an electron image intensifier, has been developed. The system consists of a streak camera and an automatic data acquisition system with a silicon intensified target vidicon camera and a video analyser employing a microcomputer. First of all, the basic concept for designing the streak tube is discussed, comparing performances of the new tube with those of a streak tube followed by an image intensifier tube. The recent progress of the development of the tubes including ultraviolet, infrared and X-ray streak tubes is also presented. Performance characteristics of the streak camera system, such as temporal resolution of better than 10 ps (f.w.h.m.) in a linear dynamic range of better than 100 at relatively small jitter of approximately ± 50 ps, are also presented.

The Synchroscan picosecond streak camera system

The Synchroscan system has been developed to meet the need for a picosecond streak camera that could record repetitively at the pulse recurrence frequencies commonly available in laser systems. The technique was first tested on lasers producing short trams of pulses, and, having shown promising results, was then applied to the recording of short weak pulses of Cerenkov radiation induced by a repetitively pulsed beam of particles. With the development of continuous wave (c.w.) mode-locked dye lasers there has been an increase of interest in the Synchroscan method, and the system has been developed into a commercially available accessory for the Imacon 675 streak camera. Results are presented illustrating the various stages of the development.

A Streak Camera System for Quantitative Fluorimetry

Abstract In conventional and laser excited molecular fluorescence spectrometry,1,2 the excitation scatter and luminescence from the blank have been shown to be the major factors controlling the limits of detection. However, because of their high intensity, an increase in sensitivity (signal/concentration) is often noted with laser excitation as compared with conventional sources. From theoretical calculations,3,4 as well as experimental results,5 pulsed source excitation with gated detection, using time resolution, can be used to improve the signal to noise ratio, S/N, in certain instances. Pulsed lasers are very well suited for these measurements because of their high intensities and short pulse widths.

A Streak Camera System for Time Resolved Fluorimetry

Abstract Presently, there are several techniques for measurement of fluorescence lifetimes of organic molecules. These techniques, reviewed by Ware,1 can be divided into two basic groups, those based upon pulsed sources and those based on modulated sources and phase shift measurement. In the pulsed methods, repetitive, short pulse width, intense excitation pulses excite the fluorophor and the fluorescence decay is measured; the source temporal response must be deconvoluced from the fluorescence decay in order to evaluate the fluorescence signal and lifetime. Typical sources of excitation include nanosecond flashlamps and more recently nanosecond N2-laser (with or without a dye laser) and mode-locked lasers with picosecond pulse widths2-6. The modulated source phase shift methods,1 involve sinusoidal excitation of the fluorophor and measurement of the phase shift between the modulated excitation source and the modulated flourescence. Because modulation frequencies are limited to approximately 20 MHz, fluor...

A Design of a Picosecond Streak Camera System

ピコ秒領域のリアルタイム測光を目的として開発したストリークカメラシステムの基礎設計について述べた.システムはストリークカメラ, SITカメラおよび画像解析装置から成り, 各種要因と時間分解能の関係, 掃引電圧の発生, ジッター, ゲイン, 信号処理方式などについて検討し, 目標性能を満足するための各種パラメーターの値を求めた.

Streak camera-TV system with improved S/N ratio incorporating a digital video recorder directly interfaced to a computer

By incorporating a digital video recorder, a streak camera system previously developed for recording time-resolved transient absorption and emission spectra was greatly improved with respect to reproducibility and accuracy. The requirements for on-line computer time were also reduced.

Time resolved fluorescence of trans-Stilbene in the picosecond regime

The Synchroscan streak camera system has been used to examine the temperature dependence of the fluorescence decay of trans-Stilbene between -10 and 30 °C. Two components of the fluorescence have been detected; a short one varying between 125 and 64 psec over the range and a much weaker longer one varying from 690 to 1450 psec. The presence of the longer component may indicate a return to the transgeometry following initial photoisomerization.

Picosecond time resolved energy transfer between rhodamine 6G and malachite green

The process of singlet—singlet resonance energy transfer between rhodamine 6G (donor) and malachite green (acceptor) has been studied with a picosecond laser : streak camera system. Unlike previous investigations, the measurements were conducted in a low viscosity solvent (ethanol) at room temperature. The donor fluorescence decay function was found to be in agreement with that predicted by the Förster theory over a tenfold range of acceptor concentrations (10−3 M to 10−2 M) and up to a limiting time resolution of 10 ps. An average R0 value of 52.5 A was obtained from the fluorescence decay curves, in reasonable agreement with the value of 48 A calculated from spectroscopic data.

Measurements of picosecond laser pulses from mode-locked Nd:YAG laser

This paper deals with measurements of picosecond laser pulse parameters such as temporal and spatial profile, and power. Pulseshape measurements were conducted by using the combined streak camera and optical multichannel analyzer system. The precision of measurements are discussed.