We introduce, analyze, and experimentally demonstrate what to the best of our knowledge is a new pulse correlation technique that is capable of real-time conversion of a femtosecond pulse sequence into its spatial image. Our technique uses a grating at the entrance of the system, thus introducing a transverse time delay (TTD) into the transform-limited reference pulse. The shaped signal pulses and the TTD reference pulse are mixed in a nonlinear optical crystal (LiB(3)O(5)), thus producing a second-harmonic field that carries the spatial image of the temporal shaped signal pulse. We show that the time scaling of the system is set by the magnification of the anamorphic imaging system as well as by the grating frequency and that the time window of the system is set by the size of the grating aperture. Our experimental results show a time window of approximately 20 ps. We also show that the chirp information of the shaped pulse can be recovered by measurement of the spectrum of the resulting second-harmonic field.

We demonstrate nonvolatile storage of femtosecond pulses in a photorefractive LiNbO(3) crystal with recording and readout of spectral holograms at wavelengths of 460 and 920 nm, respectively. No degradation was observed after 24 h of continuous readout. We also show that we can realize the time-lens effect with our system by appropriately setting the ratio of the recording and the reconstruction wavelengths and the spectral resolution of the recording and the reconstruction processes.

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