Düsseldorf 2007 – scientific programme

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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 45: Attosekundenphysik (gemeinsam mit A)

Q 45.7: Talk

Wednesday, March 21, 2007, 15:45–16:00, 6G

High Harmonic Generation for attosecond pump-probe experiments — •Helga Rietz, Konstantin Simeonidis und Joachim Ullrich — Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, 69117 Heidelberg

The generation of high harmonic (HHG) radiation in rare gases using ultrashort infrared laser pulses is a well proven method to provide an efficient way to produce attosecond light pulses, thus opening the door to direct investigation of dynamics on attosecond timescales, such as the electronic motion in atoms.

Here we report on the construction of the first stage of a new experiment that will combine attosecond light pulses from HHG with a so called "reaction microscope" to perform pump-probe measurements with attosecond resolution on atoms and molecules. An innovative, versatile vacuum chamber housing all necessary optics, a gas target for HHG and a spectrometer setup for XUV-characterisation have been designed and successfully put into operation. The harmonics are generated using 800nm Ti:Sapphire laser pulses produced by a commercially available Ti:Sa-amplifier system at a pulse repetiton frequency of 10 kHz, with a single pulse energy of 0.7 mJ and duration of approximately 25 fs. A further compression to 6 fs is planned. Particularly, the high repetition rate of the system is expected to increase experimental sensitivity. First examinations of the harmonics produced in Argon and Neon exhibit a promising yield of coherent soft-X-ray radiation and confirm our setup.