New Laser Technology Enables Terawatt Pulses for Attosecond Science

Recent advancements in laser technology have led to the development of a three-stage pulse compression scheme capable of generating terawatt (TW) near-single-cycle laser pulses. This technique, demonstrated by researchers including E. Sobolev and M. Volkov, utilizes helium as a nonlinear medium, resulting in the production of multi-mJ pulses with a duration of 3.7 femtoseconds (fs). The simplicity and robustness of this approach make it particularly suitable for demanding applications such as attosecond-pump attosecond-probe spectroscopy (APAPS).

The researchers conducted experiments using two-color APAPS in argon (Ar) and neon (Ne), successfully observing both simultaneous and sequential two-photon absorption. This method not only showcases the potential for high stability but also indicates scalability to multi-TW powers, which could significantly enhance the capabilities of attosecond science.

The implications of this research are substantial for fields requiring precise temporal resolution, such as chemical dynamics and material science. The ability to generate such short laser pulses opens new avenues for exploring ultrafast processes at the atomic level, potentially leading to breakthroughs in understanding fundamental physical phenomena and developing advanced technologies.

For further details, the paper titled "Terawatt-level three-stage pulse compression for all-attosecond pump-probe spectroscopy" can be accessed here. The authors of the study include E. Sobolev, M. Volkov, E. Svirplys, J. Thomas, T. Witting, M. J. J. Vrakking, and B. Schütte.