Attosecond electron spectroscopy using a novel interferometric pump-probe technique

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • J. Mauritsson - , Lund University (Author)
  • T. Remetter - , Lund University (Author)
  • M. Swoboda - , Lund University (Author)
  • K. Klünder - , Lund University (Author)
  • A. L'Huillier - , Lund University (Author)
  • K. J. Schafer - , Louisiana State University (Author)
  • O. Ghafur - , AMOLF (Author)
  • F. Kelkensberg - , AMOLF (Author)
  • W. Siu - , AMOLF (Author)
  • P. Johnsson - , AMOLF (Author)
  • M. J.J. Vrakking - , AMOLF, Max-Born-Institute for Nonlinear Optics and Short Pulse Spectroscopy (Author)
  • I. Znakovskaya - , Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics (Author)
  • T. Uphues - , Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics (Author)
  • S. Zherebtsov - , Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics (Author)
  • M. F. Kling - , Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics (Author)
  • F. Lépine - , Universite Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (Author)
  • E. Benedetti - , National Research Council of Italy (CNR) (Author)
  • F. Ferrari - , National Research Council of Italy (CNR) (Author)
  • G. Sansone - , National Research Council of Italy (CNR) (Author)
  • M. Nisoli - , National Research Council of Italy (CNR) (Author)

Abstract

We present an interferometric pump-probe technique for the characterization of attosecond electron wave packets (WPs) that uses a free WP as a reference to measure a bound WP. We demonstrate our method by exciting helium atoms using an attosecond pulse (AP) with a bandwidth centered near the ionization threshold, thus creating both a bound and a free WP simultaneously. After a variable delay, the bound WP is ionized by a few-cycle infrared laser precisely synchronized to the original AP. By measuring the delay-dependent photoelectron spectrum we obtain an interferogram that contains both quantum beats as well as multipath interference. Analysis of the interferogram allows us to determine the bound WP components with a spectral resolution much better than the inverse of the AP duration.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number053001
JournalPhysical review letters
Volume105
Issue number5
Publication statusPublished - 27 Jul 2010
Peer-reviewedYes
Externally publishedYes

External IDs

ORCID /0000-0003-2572-1149/work/208796532

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas