Attosecond nonlinear optics using gigawatt-scale isolated attosecond pulses

Abstract

High-energy isolated attosecond pulses required for the most intriguing nonlinear attosecond experiments as well as for attosecond-pump/attosecond-probe spectroscopy are still lacking at present. Here we propose and demonstrate a robust generation method of intense isolated attosecond pulses, which enable us to perform a nonlinear attosecond optics experiment. By combining a two-colour field synthesis and an energy-scaling method of high-order harmonic generation, the maximum pulse energy of the isolated attosecond pulse reaches as high as 1.3 μJ. The generated pulse with a duration of 500 as, as characterized by a nonlinear autocorrelation measurement, is the shortest and highest-energy pulse ever with the ability to induce nonlinear phenomena. The peak power of our tabletop light source reaches 2.6 GW, which even surpasses that of an extreme-ultraviolet free-electron laser.

Multi-μJ harmonic emission energy from laser-driven plasma

“…Techniques like the loose-focusing [4][5][6][7] or the double optical gating [8] have been implemented to enhance the XUV flux and exploit higher laser energies from modern laser systems. More recently using these techniques, a tabletop source delivering 2.6 GW power in a single attosecond pulse was reported [9]. Nevertheless, mainly due to impractical setups required, the prospects to further increase the XUV pulse energy by efficiently exploiting state-of-the-art multi-10-TW and PW class laser systems appear to be bleak.…”

Waveforms for optimal sub-keV high-order harmonics with synthesized two- or three-colour laser fields

“…Similarly, enhancement of HHG has been predicted in many theoretical simulations (Supplementary Discussion). More recently, advancement in optical parametric amplification (OPA) and optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification (OPCPA) technology has made it possible to perform coherent wavelength multiplexing of ultra-broadband (over two or more octaves) pulses with full phase and amplitude control, thus allowing the generation of any optical waveform [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] . With so many 'knobs' accessible, it is of critical importance to develop a general algorithm for optimal waveform control for the efficient enhancement of high-harmonic generation and for other strong field phenomena.…”

Tabletop imaging of structural evolutions in chemical reactions demonstrated for the acetylene cation

“…If sub-fs resolution is required, one can use an XUV pump/XUV probe arrangement based on HHG for this kind of experiments 20,21 , however, at the price of a highly demanding experimental setup.…”