Attosecond metrology with controlled light waveforms

Abstract

The electric field oscillations of visible light change their sign about 10¹⁵ times per second, and, therefore, the field strength changes from zero to maximum in less than a femtosecond (10-¹⁵ s). By precisely controlling these oscillations within a very short laser pulse, we were able to demonstrate an apparatus capable of measuring atomic processes with an accuracy of approximately 100 attoseconds (10-¹⁸ s). A controlled, intense 5-femtosecond laser pulse is used to create a 250-attosecond x-ray pulse that triggers the atomic process. The electric field oscillations of the same laser pulse are used to probe the time structure of the process. This measuring technique allows for the tracing of very fast processes in the electron shells of atoms for the first time. Copyright © 2005 by MAIK "Nauka/Interperiodica" (Russia).