Isolated Single-Cycle Attosecond Pulses

Sansone, G.; Benedetti, Enrico; Calegari, Francesca; Vozzi, C.; Avaldi, L.; Flammini, R.; Poletto, Luca; Villoresi, Paolo; Altucci, C.; Velotta, R.; Stagira, S.; Silvestri, S. De; Nisoli, M.

doi:10.1126/science.1132838

Cited by 1,613 publications

(1,013 citation statements)

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“…1 Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Hans-Kopfermann-Straße 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany, 2 Department für Physik, LudwigMaximilians-Universität, Am Coulombwall 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany, 3 Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Institute of Electronic Structure & Laser, PO Box 1527, GR-711 10 Heraklion (Crete), Greece, 4 Department of Physics and Astronomy, Queens University Belfast, BT7 1NN, UK, 5 Moscow Physics Engineering Institute, Kashirskoe shosse 31, 115409 Moscow, Russia, 6 Department of Physics, University of Crete, PO Box 2208, GR-71003 Voutes-Heraklion (Crete), Greece. *These authors contributed equally to this work.…”

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confidence: 99%

Attosecond phase locking of harmonics emitted from laser-produced plasmas

et al. 2008

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Laser-driven coherent extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) sources provide pulses lasting a few hundred attoseconds 1,2 , enabling real-time access to dynamic changes of the electronic structure of matter 3,4 , the fastest processes outside the atomic nucleus. These pulses, however, are typically rather weak. Exploiting the ultrahigh brilliance of accelerator-based XUV sources 5 and the unique time structure of their laser-based counterparts would open intriguing opportunities in ultrafast X-ray and high-field science, extending powerful nonlinear optical and pump-probe techniques towards X-ray frequencies, and paving the way towards unequalled radiation intensities. Relativistic laser-plasma interactions have been identified as a promising approach to achieve this goal 6-13 . Recent experiments confirmed that relativistically driven overdense plasmas are able to convert infrared laser light into harmonic XUV radiation with unparalleled efficiency, and demonstrated the scalability of the generation technique towards hard X-rays 14-19 . Here we show that the phases of the XUV harmonics emanating from the interaction processes are synchronized, and therefore enable attosecond temporal bunching. Along with the previous findings concerning energy conversion and recent advances in high-power laser technology, our experiment demonstrates the feasibility of confining unprecedented amounts of light energy to within less than one femtosecond.The nonlinear response of matter exposed to intense femtosecond laser pulses gives rise to the emission of highfrequency radiation at harmonics of the laser oscillation frequency. If the harmonics are phase-locked, their superposition results in a train of attosecond bursts 20 . The concept has been so far successfully implemented in atomic gases 21 , and culminated in isolated attosecond pulses by using few-cycle laser drivers 1,2 . The low generation efficiency of harmonic radiation from atoms has motivated research into alternative concepts. Dense, femtosecond-laser-produced plasmas hold promise of converting laser light into coherent harmonics with much higher efficiency and of exploiting much higher laser intensities, because the plasma medium-in contrast to the atomic emitters-imposes no restriction on the strength of the laser field driving the harmonics [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] . Recent experimental studies of harmonics produced from overdense plasmas impressively corroborate several theoretical predictions: the high conversion efficiency 19 , the favourable scalability of the generation technique towards high photon energies 14,16,19 and excellent divergence due to the spatial coherence of the generated harmonics 19,22 . Whether the high-order harmonics that are produced in overdense plasmas • gold-coated off-axis parabolic mirror with the same focal length as the laser focusing parabola. The recollimating mirror is mounted on a flipper stage for easy withdrawal, thus enabling the spectral characterization of the emitted XUV light. Thin metal filters (typically 150 nm Al, In or Sn)...

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confidence: 99%

Attosecond phase locking of harmonics emitted from laser-produced plasmas

et al. 2008

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“…Based on the strong sensitivity of the HHG process to the polarization (ellipticity) of the driving laser, the harmonic emission can be localized to the time interval in which the laser is linearly polarized. Using this polarization gating technique, an isolated 130 as pulse has been produced [49,50]. The advantage of this technique is that in principle a much larger range of frequencies in the harmonic spectrum are emitted during a short time (not only the frequencies in the cutoff region), allowing for potentially much shorter attosecond pulses with higher yields.…”

Section: Spatiotemporal Dynamics Of Laser Pulsementioning

confidence: 99%

Theory of Nonlinear Propagation of High Harmonics Generated in a Gaseous Medium

Jin

2013

Springer Theses

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In this thesis, we establish the theoretical tools to investigate high-order harmonic generation (HHG) by intense infrared lasers in a gaseous medium. The macroscopic propagation of both the fundamental and the harmonic fields is taken into account by solving Maxwell's wave equations, while the single-atom (or single-molecule) response is obtained by quantitative rescattering theory. The initial spatial mode of the fundamental laser is assumed either a Gaussian or a truncated Bessel beam. On the examples of Ar, N 2 and CO 2 , we demonstrate that the available experimental HHG spectra with isotropic and aligned target media can be accurately reproduced theoretically even though the HHG spectra are sensitive to the experimental conditions. We show that the macroscopic HHG can be expressed as a product of a macroscopic wave packet and a photorecombination cross section, where the former depends on laser and experimental conditions while the latter is the property of the target only. The factorization makes it possible to retrieve the single-atom or single-molecule structure information from experimental HHG spectra. As for the multiple molecular orbital contribution in HHG, it causes the disappearance of the minimum in the HHG spectrum of aligned N 2 with the increase of laser intensity, and the position of minimum in HHG spectrum of aligned CO 2 depending on many factors is also attributed to it, which could explain why the minima observed in different laboratories may differ. For an important application of HHG as ultrashort light source, we show that measured continuous harmonic spectrum of Xe due to the reshaping of the fundamental laser field can be used to produce an isolated attosecond pulse by spectral and spatial filtering in the far field. For on-going application of using HHG to ionize aligned molecules, we present the photoelectron angular distribution from aligned N 2 and CO 2 in the laboratory frame, which can be compared directly with future experiments. demonstrate that the available experimental HHG spectra with isotropic and aligned target media can be accurately reproduced theoretically even though the HHG spectra are sensitive to the experimental conditions. We show that the macroscopic HHG can be expressed as a product of a macroscopic wave packet and a photorecombination cross section, where the former depends on laser and experimental conditions while the latter is the property of the target only. The factorization makes it possible to retrieve the single-atom or single-molecule structure information from experimental HHG spectra. As for the multiple molecular orbital contribution in HHG, it causes the disappearance of the minimum in the HHG spectrum of aligned N 2 with the increase of laser intensity, and the position of minimum in HHG spectrum of aligned CO 2 depending on many factors is also attributed to it, which could explain why the minima observed in different laboratories may differ. For an important application of HHG as ultrashort light source, we show that measured continu...

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“…Even though first hinds of the key ideas behind attosecond streaking can be recognized in earlier experiments [23,24], it was the implementation of the technique by CEP controlled few-cycle pulses that boosted resolution to characterize attosecond electron photoemission with a resolution below 100-as [40]. Further advancement provided access to ever shorter x-ray pulses [41] nearing to the atomic unit of time [42]. The concept of attosecond streaking is summarized in Figure 3.…”

Section: Attosecond Strong-field Physics In the Few-cycle Regimementioning

confidence: 99%

MAKING OPTICAL WAVES, TRACING ELECTRONS IN REAL-TIME: THE ONSET OF THE ATTOSECOND REALM (Invited Review)

Goulielmakis¹,

Krausz²

2014

PIER

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Abstract-Tracing the dynamics of electrons inside atoms molecules or solids as they occur in real time resides at the forefront of modern science and technology. Advances in attosecond physics over the last decade and beyond are now enabling this essential experimental capability. Here we discuss some of the key developments in light sciences that made possible attosecond metrology and control of electronic processes inside matter on native time scales. These developments hold the promise for new, fundamental insights into the innerworkings of the microcosm as well as the identification of innovative routes for light-based electronic and photonic devices operating at PHz rates.

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Isolated Single-Cycle Attosecond Pulses

Cited by 1,613 publications

References 26 publications

Attosecond phase locking of harmonics emitted from laser-produced plasmas

Attosecond phase locking of harmonics emitted from laser-produced plasmas

Theory of Nonlinear Propagation of High Harmonics Generated in a Gaseous Medium

MAKING OPTICAL WAVES, TRACING ELECTRONS IN REAL-TIME: THE ONSET OF THE ATTOSECOND REALM (Invited Review)

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