Measurement of the Optical Coherence of a Femtosecond Pulsed Laser by Shearing Interferometry with a Double-Frequency Grating

Shearing interferometry of an ion-etched holographic double-frequency grating is used to measure the optical coherence of femtosecond pulsed lasers. The experimental results show that the optical coherence of the femtosecond light beam is not only related to the spectral width and size of the light source but is also related to the pulse duration and mode-locked laser state. The results of theoretical analysis and numerical calculation are also given. Application of this research is also discussed.