Q. Do you have an example of how broad the pulse may become when using a microscope?
A. For example, a transform-limited Gaussian-shaped pulse with duration of 100 fs at 800 nm is passing through microscope optics with total positive dispersion of 8000 fs^2, and that corresponds to pulse broadening to 254 fs.
Q. How can I know the dispersion of my microscope?
A. If it is an established producer of microscopic equipment, they might know the answer already. Just ask if they know the second order dispersion of their system at 800 nm or any other wavelength that is of interest to you.
Another way to go would be to purchase an autocorrelator with two photodetectors, one being able to measure pulse duration at the sample’s position of your system. Thus, you would be able to calculate the dispersion based on the difference in durations at the input and at sample position. This can be done by using our autocorrelator AA-M.