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Abstract

We present a pump-probe technique for monitoring ultrafast polarizability changes. In particular, we use it to measure the plasma density created at the temporal focus of a self-compressing higher-order pump soliton in a gas-filled hollow-core photonic crystal fiber. This is done by monitoring the wavelength of the dispersive wave emission from a counterpropagating probe soliton. By varying the relative delay between pump and probe, the plasma density distribution along the fiber can be mapped out. Compared with recently introduced interferometric side probing for monitoring the plasma density, our technique is relatively immune to instabilities caused by air turbulence and mechanical vibration. The results of two experiments on argon- and krypton-filled fiber are presented and compared to numerical simulations. The technique provides an important tool for probing photoionization in many different gases and gas mixtures, as well as ultrafast changes in dispersion in many other contexts.