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Attosecond Scale Multi-XUV-Photon Processes

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Progress in Ultrafast Intense Laser Science

Part of the book series: Springer Series in Chemical Physics ((PUILS,volume 91))

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Abstract

Time domain investigations of dynamic processes involving electronic motion in all states of matter require temporal resolution of the scale of the atomic unit of time (24.1889 as). Intensive efforts in ultra-short radiation pulse engineering led recently to the breakthrough into the sub-femtosecond regime, assuring in the dawn of attoscience. Attosecond pulses are synthesized from XUV and/or X-ray waves, with higher order harmonic generation (HOHG) being so far the core process of the synthesizer. Intense attosecond pulse generation and the temporal characterization of such fragile against dispersion objects became a challenge for a number of international research campaigns. The collaboration between MPQ-Garching and FORTH-IESL led to the systematic development of one of the most promising approaches of attosecond metrology, based on pure non-linear XUV processes. The approaches are highly relevant to the temporal characterization of femtosecond and attosecond XUV and X-ray radiation, as well as to pump-probe applications. Hence, in addition to HOHG, they are highly pertinent to the diagnostics and time domain applications of the rapidly developing XFEL sources.

In the present manuscript, we review recent accomplishments of the campaign mentioned above. Two-XUV-photon ionization processes, including total and energy resolved ionization as also direct double ionization, are introduced in the context of non-linear detectors of non-linear autocorrelators for ultra-short XUV pulses. Experimental implementations of such processes, utilizing intense XUV generation, are presented. Promising extensions to two-X-ray-photon innershell ionization are discussed. We further review on the progress made in relevant XUV instrumentation. The design, development and exploitation of two complementary novel dispersionless, broadband XUV/X-ray, non-linear autocorrelators is summarized. Utilizing the achieved non-liner XUV processes and the new instrumentation, the first second order autocorrelation measurement of an attosecond pulse train and herewith the first direct observation of attosecond light localization is demonstrated. This measurement and its detailed through ab initio calculations assessment are further reviewed. The work presented opens up the venue for full four-dimensional investigations in light matter interactions, at extreme scales.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas, Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser, P.O. BOX 1527, Heraklion, (Crete), 71110, Greece

    Dimitris Charalambidis, Paris Tzallas & Emmanouil P. Benis

  2. Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Garching, 85748, Germany

    George D. Tsakiris

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  1. Dimitris Charalambidis
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  2. Paris Tzallas
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  3. Emmanouil P. Benis
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  4. George D. Tsakiris
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. MPI für Physik komplexer Systeme, Nöthnitzer Str. 38, Dresden, 01187, Germany

    Andreas Becker

  2. Department of Physics and JILA, University of Colorado, 440 UCB, Boulder, CO, 80309-0440, USA

    Andreas Becker

  3. Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O.Box 800-21, Shanghai, 201800, China

    Ruxin Li

  4. Department for Physics Engineering Physics and Optics & Center for Optics Photonics and Laser, Laval University, Quebec City, Quebec, G1V 0A6, Canada

    See Leang Chin

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Charalambidis, D., Tzallas, P., Benis, E.P., Tsakiris, G.D. (2009). Attosecond Scale Multi-XUV-Photon Processes. In: Yamanouchi, K., Becker, A., Li, R., Chin, S.L. (eds) Progress in Ultrafast Intense Laser Science. Springer Series in Chemical Physics, vol 91. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-69143-3_7

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