Single-Shot Femtosecond Raster-Framing Imaging with High Spatio-Temporal Resolution Using Wavelength/Polarization Time Coding

This paper introduces a single-shot ultrafast imaging technique termed wavelength and polarization time-encoded ultrafast raster imaging (WP-URI). By integrating raster imaging principles with wavelength- and polarization-based temporal encoding, the system uses a spatial raster mask and time–space mapping to aggregate multiple two-dimensional temporal raster images onto a single detector plane, thereby enabling the effective spatial separation and extraction of target information. Finally, the target dynamics are recovered using a reconstruction algorithm based on the Nyquist–Shannon sampling theorem. Numerical simulations demonstrate the single-shot acquisition of four dynamic frames at 25 trillion frames per second (Tfps) with an intrinsic spatial resolution of 50 line pairs per millimeter (lp/mm) and a wide field of view. The WP-URI technique achieves unparalleled spatio-temporal resolution and frame rates, offering significant potential for investigating ultrafast phenomena such as matter interactions, carrier dynamics in semiconductor devices, and femtosecond laser–matter processes.