60-dB-dynamic-range short-pulse measurement from an 8-bit CMOS camera.

We have developed a simple detection scheme that uses an 8-bit CMOS camera and spans over 60-dB dynamic range. By use of noise reduction techniques, the 8-bit CMOS camera yields a 40-dB dynamic-range signal, which is further increased by 20 dB by making a replica of the signal beam on another part of the detector chip. We have experimentally validated this scheme in a scanning and a single-shot autocorrelator.