TY - GEN
T1 - The world of attoseconds - Where a second lasts as long as the age of the universe
AU - Kienberger, Reinhard
PY - 2011
Y1 - 2011
N2 - The observation of ultrafast fundamental processe in real time is a key to exploring the dynamic behaviour of matter. In order to be able to do these observations, pulses shorter than the processes under scrutiny have to be generated. Over the past decade novel ultrafast optical technologies have pushed the duration of laser pulses close to its natural limit, to the wave cycle, which lasts somewhat longer than one femtosecond (1 fs = 10EXP-15 s) in the visible spectral range. About ten years ago these pulses were used to generate single isolated attosecond pulses in the extreme ultraviolet (XUV): Atoms exposed to a few oscillation cycles of intense visible or near-infrared light are able to emit a single electron and XUV photon wavepacket of sub-femtosecond duration. Precise control of these sub-femtosecond wavepackets have been achieved by full control of the electromagnetic field in few-cycle light pulses. These XUV pulses together with the few-cycle (few-femtosecond) laser pulses used for their generation have opened the way to the development of a technique for attosecond sampling of electrons ejected from atoms or molecules and solids.
AB - The observation of ultrafast fundamental processe in real time is a key to exploring the dynamic behaviour of matter. In order to be able to do these observations, pulses shorter than the processes under scrutiny have to be generated. Over the past decade novel ultrafast optical technologies have pushed the duration of laser pulses close to its natural limit, to the wave cycle, which lasts somewhat longer than one femtosecond (1 fs = 10EXP-15 s) in the visible spectral range. About ten years ago these pulses were used to generate single isolated attosecond pulses in the extreme ultraviolet (XUV): Atoms exposed to a few oscillation cycles of intense visible or near-infrared light are able to emit a single electron and XUV photon wavepacket of sub-femtosecond duration. Precise control of these sub-femtosecond wavepackets have been achieved by full control of the electromagnetic field in few-cycle light pulses. These XUV pulses together with the few-cycle (few-femtosecond) laser pulses used for their generation have opened the way to the development of a technique for attosecond sampling of electrons ejected from atoms or molecules and solids.
KW - Attosecond pulses
KW - high-order harmonic generation
KW - time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy
KW - ultrafast electron dynamics
KW - ultrafast lasers
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84858380764&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1117/12.902130
DO - 10.1117/12.902130
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:84858380764
SN - 9780819485854
T3 - Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
BT - 22nd Congress of the International Commission for Optics
T2 - 22nd Congress of the International Commission for Optics: Light for the Development of the World
Y2 - 15 August 2011 through 19 August 2011
ER -