Spatiotemporal plasma hologram
Abstract
We present the first experimental realization of a four-dimensional (4D) plasma hologram capable of recording and reconstructing the full spatiotemporal information of intense laser pulses. The holographic encoding is achieved through the interference of a long object pulse and a counter-propagating short reference pulse, generating an ionized plasma grating that captures both spatial and temporal characteristics of the laser field. A first-order diffractive probe enables the retrieval of encoded information, successfully reconstructing the spatiotemporal profiles of Gaussian and Laguerre-Gaussian beams. The experiment demonstrates the ability to encode artificial information into the laser pulse via spectral modulation and retrieve it through plasma grating diffraction, high-lighting potential applications in ultraintense optical data processing. Key innovations include a single-shot, background-free method for direct far-field spatiotemporal measurement and the obser-vation of laser focus propagation dynamics in plasma. The plasma grating exhibits a stable lifetime of 30-40 ps and supports high repetition rates, suggesting usage for high-speed optical switches and plasmatic analog memory. These advancements establish plasma holography as a robust platform for ultrafast laser manipulation, with implications for secure optical communication, analog computing,and precision spatiotemporal control of high-intensity lasers.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2505.12993,
title = {Spatiotemporal plasma hologram},
author = {Zhaohui Wu and Hao Peng and Xiaoming Zeng and Zhaoli Li and Xiaodong Wang and Xiao Wang and Jie Mu and Yanlei Zuo and Kainan Zhou and Nathaniel J. Fisch and C. Riconda and S. Weber},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2505.12993},
year = {2025}
}
Comments
1.We present the first experimental realization of a four-dimensional (4D) plasma hologram to reconstruct the full spatiotemporal information of intense laser pulses. 2.The propogation process is firstly directly observed in experiment. 3.We show information can be encoded in intense laser pusle and retrieved by plasma hologram