Discrete dispersion scan setup for measuring few-cycle laser pulses in the mid-infrared

In this work, we demonstrate a discrete dispersion scan scheme using a low number of flat windows to vary the dispersion of laser pulses in discrete steps. Monte Carlo simulations indicate that the pulse duration can be retrieved accurately with less than 10 dispersion steps, which we verify experimentally by measuring few-cycle pulses and material dispersion curves at 3 and 10 micrometer wavelength. This minimal measuring scheme using only five optical components without the need for high-precision positioners and interferometric alignment can be readily implemented in many wavelength ranges and situations.