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Focusing properties of attosecond pulses

Hoflund, Maria LU (2021) In Lund Reports on Atomic Physics, LRAP
Abstract
The discovery of high-order harmonic generation (HHG) has made it possible to see the electron dynamics on their natural time scale, attoseconds. In the HHG process, a femtosecond infrared (IR) laser pulse is converted into a train of attosecond pulses in the extreme ultraviolet (XUV), but with a very low conversion efficiency. The low intensity has to be used efficiently and that means keeping the photons compact in both space and time at the interaction with the matter
you want to study. In this thesis, the focusing properties have been measured experimentally of high-order harmonics generated in Ar using a multi terawatt laser system in a loose focusing geometry. A few micrometre focus is obtained using focusing optics with a high... (More)
The discovery of high-order harmonic generation (HHG) has made it possible to see the electron dynamics on their natural time scale, attoseconds. In the HHG process, a femtosecond infrared (IR) laser pulse is converted into a train of attosecond pulses in the extreme ultraviolet (XUV), but with a very low conversion efficiency. The low intensity has to be used efficiently and that means keeping the photons compact in both space and time at the interaction with the matter
you want to study. In this thesis, the focusing properties have been measured experimentally of high-order harmonics generated in Ar using a multi terawatt laser system in a loose focusing geometry. A few micrometre focus is obtained using focusing optics with a high demagnification factor. The waist size and position of the individual harmonics have been measured using a knifeedge
technique and the SWORD (spectral wavefront optical reconstruction by di↵raction) technique, while varying generation parameters. The measurements show that the harmonic focus positions are spread out along the propagation axis, which consequently decreases the peak intensity and increases the pulse duration due to the local narrowed bandwidth. However, there is a way to improve the focus by choosing the right generation parameters. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
supervisor
organization
publishing date
type
Thesis
publication status
published
subject
in
Lund Reports on Atomic Physics, LRAP
issue
577
publisher
Lund University
ISSN
0281-2762
0281-2762
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
6e823a36-8b62-4492-b1ee-e1f88b8034ab
date added to LUP
2021-11-12 13:17:45
date last changed
2023-02-03 15:04:49
@misc{6e823a36-8b62-4492-b1ee-e1f88b8034ab,
  abstract     = {{The discovery of high-order harmonic generation (HHG) has made it possible to see the electron dynamics on their natural time scale, attoseconds. In the HHG process, a femtosecond infrared (IR) laser pulse is converted into a train of attosecond pulses in the extreme ultraviolet (XUV), but with a very low conversion efficiency. The low intensity has to be used efficiently and that means keeping the photons compact in both space and time at the interaction with the matter<br/>you want to study. In this thesis, the focusing properties have been measured experimentally of high-order harmonics generated in Ar using a multi terawatt laser system in a loose focusing geometry. A few micrometre focus is obtained using focusing optics with a high demagnification factor. The waist size and position of the individual harmonics have been measured using a knifeedge<br/>technique and the SWORD (spectral wavefront optical reconstruction by di↵raction) technique, while varying generation parameters. The measurements show that the harmonic focus positions are spread out along the propagation axis, which consequently decreases the peak intensity and increases the pulse duration due to the local narrowed bandwidth. However, there is a way to improve the focus by choosing the right generation parameters.}},
  author       = {{Hoflund, Maria}},
  issn         = {{0281-2762}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Licentiate Thesis}},
  number       = {{577}},
  publisher    = {{Lund University}},
  series       = {{Lund Reports on Atomic Physics, LRAP}},
  title        = {{Focusing properties of attosecond pulses}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/109635212/Maria_Hoflund_web2.pdf}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}