Autocorrelator for under $5k
Posted in Hardware
Autocorrelators can be used to measure the pulse width of ultrafast lasers. This can be useful for troubleshooting dispersion in your 2-photon imaging system and generally troubleshooting laser issues. They are big ticket items and often cost over $15k (e.g.).
Minioptic sells one for under $5k.
Just run your beam into it and plug the output into your oscilloscope (at least 1 MHz bandwidth).
Hat tip to T.V.