Real time spectra and wavelength correlation maps: New insights into octave-spanning supercontinuum generation and rogue waves

This paper reports on the use of dispersive time stretching for real time measurements of a high power Ti:Sapphire generated SC spanning 550-1100 nm, and the use of a wavelength correlation map to directly reveal the physics of different processes contributing to the SC. The SC was generated in 12 cm of photonic crystal fiber (790 nm zero dispersion) pumped by 5 kW peak power 200 fs pulses at 810 nm. The average OSA spectrum and 1000 shot-to-shot spectra using time-stretching in 100 m of specially designed normally-dispersive fiber. The real time spectra show significant fluctuations and the rare appearance of extreme frequency shifting rogue solitons (RS) is observed. The mean of the real-time measurements is in excellent agreement with the average OSA spectrum, confirming measurement fidelity.