Scribd
Upload
43 views

Attosecond Generation

Q-switching and mode locking are incapable of generating attosecond pulses due to the finite bandwidth of active media and inability to achieve high synchronization and control over pulses. Generating attosecond pulses using solids is also challenging due to high density. High harmonic generation using an atomic or molecular gas driven by an ultrafast laser can generate attosecond pulses. The process involves tunnel ionization of the gas by an intense femtosecond laser pulse, acceleration of liberated electrons by the laser field, and recombination of electrons emitting high harmonics. Temporal gating techniques allow controlling the recombination process to achieve desired attosecond pulse durations. Measurement of such short pulses involves using two-color fields in a technique called

Uploaded by

keshav
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
43 views

Attosecond Generation

Q-switching and mode locking are incapable of generating attosecond pulses due to the finite bandwidth of active media and inability to achieve high synchronization and control over pulses. Generating attosecond pulses using solids is also challenging due to high density. High harmonic generation using an atomic or molecular gas driven by an ultrafast laser can generate attosecond pulses. The process involves tunnel ionization of the gas by an intense femtosecond laser pulse, acceleration of liberated electrons by the laser field, and recombination of electrons emitting high harmonics. Temporal gating techniques allow controlling the recombination process to achieve desired attosecond pulse durations. Measurement of such short pulses involves using two-color fields in a technique called

Uploaded by

keshav
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 6

ATTOSECOND GENERATION

Why Q-switching and mode locking incapable of generating


attosecond pulses?
 Further scissoring restricted by finite bandwidth of active medium.
 High level synchronization and control over pulses and agency not possible.
 Attosecond pulses using solid medium challenging due to high density.

Solution:
 We again come back to gases as an option from solids.
High order Harmonic Generation (HHG) is incorporated.
The driving agent needs also to be ultrafast.
Medium atomic or molecular gas or dense plasmas.
High Harmonic Generation-HHG
 Harmonics- frequencies multiple of fundamental frequency.
 Generally in range 15 to 1000 or higher. Lies in XUV or soft X ray range.
 Mechanism- Intense laser pulse guided to gas medium.
 Femtosecond pulse is used as an intense laser pulse.
Interaction of laser with medium: 3 step process:
 Ionization of electrons of atoms of gas- Tunnel ionization.
 Removed electrons not free- Under influence of laser- suffering acceleration.
 Cut off/ threshold energy given by:
Emax=Ip+3.17Up

Here, Ip is potential energy and Up is pondermotive (time averaged) energy of laser gained by electron.

 Response of medium not linear to incident field by laser-Hence, non linear process.
 Reversing field makes electron come back to hole.
 Recombination- electron-hole recombine and energy radiated.
• High harmonics emitted at various angles wrt laser direction. They also are coherent wavefront- interference- If
made constructively-maximum yield.

Desired duration-achieved by gating- Temporal gating used.


Polarization, ionization and double optical gating techniques.

Infact, recombination possible for linear polarization. Slight ellipticity-significant reduction in efficiency.
Bi-chromatic fields also used for gating.

Attosecond pulse generation techniques-

2 color laser pulses.

Plasma dynamics
Attosecond Pulses-Detection/measurement & Applications
(Brief insights to Nobel winning Work):

 Early attosecond science- HHG by high intensity photons (1013W/cm2 –IR range).
 Generated HHG- odd harmonics- decreasing intensity except for 5th to 33rd harmonic- Constant plateau here.

Huiller presented HHG-single electron effect.


numerical solution
of TDSE & predicted
this spectrum shape.

 Measurement of such small duration not possible with normal detectors-no detectors with time resolution of such
range.  electrons in picture, quantum nature predominating.
 Solution gotten using 2 color photon field. RABBIT- Reconstruction of attosecond beating by interference of 2-
photon transitions.
 In RABBIT, interference between 2 pathways studied which electron can take.
 The 2 pathways are-
 One-direct ionization by attosecond pulse.
 Other-absorbing 2 photons first from IR laser (our ultrafast driving source) and other from
attosecond pulse.
 XUV and driving IR field focused on target.
Ejected photoelectrons are analyzed.
Time delay variation b/w 2 fields (attosecond pulse and IR field) gives unique
information about pattern and hence pulse duration and phase.

What is possible with attosecond pulse?


 “ Einstein photoelectric effect”-Quantitatively analyzed.
 Time delay of 21as between 2s and 2p emissions-significance towards collective
dynamics of electron cloud.
 Electron motion examination in real time. Revolutionization of chemical processes
and reactions-Attosecond spectroscopy.
 Fundamentals of physics-greater understanding- electron behaviour in strong EM
fields and light matter interaction nature and many more.
THANK YOU
Deepak Panwar
2023PHA2032

You might also like