Title: Simultaneous compression and characterization of ultrashort laser pulses

Abstract:
The characterization of ultrashort laser pulses is often as important
as the generation process itself. Since no methods exist for the
direct measurement of such short events, self-referencing techniques
are usually employed, i.e., the pulse is used to measure itself.
We present a simple and robust technique to retrieve the phase of
ultrashort laser pulses, based on a chirped mirror and glass wedges
compressor. It uses the compression system itself as a diagnostic
tool, thereby making unnecessary the use of complementary diagnostic
tools. We used this technique to compress and characterize ultrashort
laser pulses from different ultrafast laser oscillators.