Visible single-shot autocorrelator in BaF(2) for subpicosecond KrF laser pulses

A single-shot autocorrelator based on the two-photon excited fluorescence of BaF(2) in the visible region at 400 nm has been developed for ultrashort KrF laser pulses at 248 nm. Operation in the visible region offers simplification in the required optical components as compared with previously reported systems, which used ultraviolet fluorescence emission. The fluorescence intensity is also used to measure the two-photon absorption coefficient of BaF(2), yielding a value of β = 1.3 ± 0.4 × 10(-10) cm/W.