Enhancement of the contrast of ultrashort laser pulses by an electro-optic deflector

A method for increasing the contrast of ultrashort light pulses by the use of an electro-optic deflector was proposed and put into practice. A contrast of 10⁷ achieved in this way was far from the theoretical limit, set by the diffraction of light. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect a further increase in the contrast if electro-optic crystals with a weaker light-scattering power are used.