Next Generation Driver for Attosecond and Laser-plasma Physics

Relativistic attosecond physics

A study, with particle-in-cell simulations, of relativistic nonlinear optics in the regime of tight focus and ultrashort pulse duration sthe l3 regimed reveals that synchronized attosecond electromagnetic pulses fN. M. Naumova, J. A. Nees, I. V. Sokolov, B. Hou, and G. A. Mourou, Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 063902 s2004dg and attosecond electron bunches fN. Naumova, I. Sokolov, J. Nees, A. Maksimchuk,...

Gating attosecond pulse train generation using multicolor laser fields

The process of high-order harmonic generation leads to the production of a train of attosecond-duration extreme ultraviolet (XUV) pulses, with one pulse emitted per optical half-cycle. For attosecond pump-probe experiments, a single, isolated attosecond pulse is preferable, requiring an almost continuous spectrum. We show experimentally and numerically that the addition of a second laser field,...

Towards efficient generation of attosecond pulses from overdense plasma targets

Theoretical studies and computer simulations predict efficient generation of attosecond electromagnetic pulses from overdense plasma targets, driven by relativistically strong laser pulses. These predictions need to be validated in time resolved experiments in order to provide a route for applications. The first available femtosecond sources for these experiments are likely to be 10 fs pulses o...

EDITORIAL: Focus on Attosecond Physics

Strong-field and attosecond physics in solids

We review the status of strong-field and attosecond processes in bulk transparent solids near the Keldysh tunneling limit. For high enough fields and low-frequency excitations, the optical and electronic properties of dielectrics can be transiently and reversibly modified within the applied pulse. In Ghimire et al (2011 Phys. Rev. Lett. 107 167407) non-parabolic band effects were seen in photon...