Measurement of intense ultraviolet subpicosecond pulses using degenerate four-wave mixing

Background-free measurement of the third-order intensity autocorrelation function of ultraviolet subpicosecond pulses is demonstrated. The method provides the pulse duration and additional information about asymmetry and other interesting structural properties of the pulses. It is possible to obtain the complete autocorrelation function from a single pulse. Measurements of subpicosecond pulses from XeCl excimer laser amplifiers reveal a distinct satellite structure, which can be attributed to a quantum beat effect of the XeCl lasing transitions.<
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