Source: Science and Technology Daily  30^th June 2025

The University of Oxford in the UK, in collaboration with the University of Munich in Germany and the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics, has released a groundbreaking technology that has achieved the first single-shot measurement of the full structure of ultra-intense laser pulses. The research team stated that this technology is expected to revolutionize the way people control the interaction between light and matter, and will have a profound impact on multiple frontier fields such as exploring new physics and achieving fusion energy. The related paper was published in the latest issue of Nature Photonics.

This research employed the novel single-shot diagnostic technique of real-time acquisition of electromagnetic vector near-field (RAVEN). With this method, the research team was able to precisely measure the complete shape, temporal structure, and alignment of a single laser pulse.

This is the first time that a complete and real-time capture of an ultra-intense laser pulse has been achieved, revealing even its polarization state and internal complex structure in full. This not only brings unprecedented insights into the research of laser-matter interactions but also makes it possible to optimize high-power laser systems, breaking through previous technical bottlenecks.

The principle of RAVEN technology is to split the laser beam into two parts. One part is used to measure the changes in the laser color (wavelength) over time. The other part enters the microlens array through a birefringent material (which can separate light of different polarizations) to record the wavefront shape and direction of the laser pulse. Eventually, this information is captured by a specialized optical sensor in the form of a single frame image and the complete structure of the laser pulse is restored through a computing program.

This technology has been successfully tested on the German ATLAS-3000 petawatt laser facility. During the experiment, the research team, for the first time, observed in real time the previously unmeasurable tiny distortions and wavefront offsets (spatiotemporal coupling effects) in the laser pulses, and based on this, precisely calibrated the laser. These spatiotemporal coupling effects can significantly affect the stability and accuracy of ultra-intense laser experiments.

More importantly, this technology offers a potential new path for inertial fusion energy devices. In fusion experiments, ultra-intense laser pulses are used to heat plasma, generate high-energy particles and ignite fusion fuel. This process is highly dependent on the precision of laser focusing, and RAVEN may provide the necessary laser intensity measurement and control means for this.