We present a method that allows for a convenient switching between high harmonic generation (HHG) and accurate calibration of the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) spectrometer used to analyze the harmonic spectrum. The accurate calibration of HHG spectra is becoming increasingly important for the determination of electronic structures. The wavelength of the laser harmonics themselves depend on the details of the harmonic geometry and phase matching, making them unsuitable for calibration purposes. In our calibration mode, the target resides directly at the focus of the laser, thereby enhancing plasma emission and suppressing harmonic generation. In HHG mode, the source medium resides in front or after the focus, showing enhanced HHG and no plasma emission lines. We analyze the plasma emission and use it for a direct calibration of our HHG spectra.

© 2009 Optical Society of America

1. J. Itatani, J. Levesque, D. Zeidler, H. Niikura, H. Pepin, J. C. Kieffer, P. B. Corkum, and D. M. Villeneuve, "Tomographic imaging of molecular orbitals," Nature 432, 867 - 871 (2004). [PubMed]
2. M. Lein, "Molecular imaging using recolliding electrons," J. Phys. B 40, R135-R173 (2007).
3. E. Goulielmakis, V. S. Yakovlev, A. L. Cavalieri, M. Uiberacker, V. Pervak, A. Apolonski, R. Kienberger, U. Kleineberg, and F. Krausz, "Attosecond control and measurement: lightwave electronics," Science 317, 769 (2007). [PubMed]
4. E. Goulielmakis, M. Schultze, M. Hofstetter, V. S. Yakovlev, J. Gagnon, M. Uiberacker, A. L. Aquila, E. M. Gullikson, D. T. Attwood, R. Kienberger, F. Krausz, and U. Kleineberg, "Single-Cycle Nonlinear Optics," Science 320, 1614 (2008). [PubMed]
5. Q1. P. B. Corkum and F. Krausz, "Attosecond science," Nature Phys. 3, 381-387 (2007).
6. Th. Pfeifer, M. J. Abel, P. M. Nagel, A. Jullien, Z.-H. Loh, M. J. Bell, D. M. Neumark, and S. R. Leone, "Timeresolved spectroscopy of attosecond quantum dynamics," Chem. Phys. Lett. 463, 11-24 (2008).
7. F. Krausz and M. Ivanov, "Attosecond physics," Rev. Mod. Phys. 81, 163 (2009).
8. R. L. Sandberg, A. Paul, D. A. Raymondson, S. Hadrich, D. M. Gaudiosi, J. Holtsnider, R. I. Tobey, O. Cohen, M. M. Murnane, and H. C. Kapteyn, "Lensless diffractive imaging using tabletop coherent high-harmonic softx-ray beams," Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 098,103 (2007).
9. A. Ravasio et al. "Single-Shot Diffractive Imaging with a Table-Top Femtosecond Soft X-Ray Laser-Harmonics Source," Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 028104 (2009). [PubMed]
10. M. Lein, N. Hay, R. Velotta, J. P. Marangos, and P. L. Knight, "Interference effects in high-order harmonic generation with molecules," Phys. Rev. A 66, 023,805 - 6 (2002).
11. C. Vozzi, F. Calegari, E. Benedetti, J. P. Caumes, G. Sansone, S. Stagira, M. Nisoli, R. Torres, E. Heesel, N. Kajumba, J. P. Marangos, C. Altucci, and R. Velotta, "Controlling two-center interference in molecular high harmonic generation," Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 153,902 - 4 (2005).
12. Q2. W. Boutu, S. Haessler, H. Merdji, P. Breger, G. Waters, M. Stankiewicz, L. J. Frasinski, R. Taieb, J. Caillat, A. Maquet, P. Monchicourt, B. Carre, and P. Salieres, "Coherent control of attosecond emission from aligned molecules," Nature Phys. 4, 545- 549 (2008).
13. B. K. McFarland, J. P. Farrell, P. H. Bucksbaum, and M. G¨uhr, "High Harmonic Generation from Multiple Orbitals in N2," Science 322, 1232-1235 (2008). [PubMed]
14. S. Minemoto, T. Umegaki, Y. Oguchi,T. Morishita, A. T. Le, S. Watanabe, and H. Sakai, "Retrieving photorecombination cross sections of atoms from high-order harmonic spectra," Phys. Rev. A 78, 061402 (2008).
15. A.-T. Le, T. Morishita, and C. D. Lin, "Extraction of the species-dependent dipole amplitude and phase from high-order harmonic spectra in rare-gas atoms," Phys. Rev. A 78, 023814 (2008).
16. H. J. W¨orner and H. Niikura and J. B. Bertrand, P. B. Corkum and D. M. Villeneuve, "Observation of electronic structure minima in high-harmonic generation," Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 103901 (2009). [PubMed]
17. J. Tisch, R. Smith, J. Muffett, M. Ciarrocca, J. Marangos, and M. Hutchinson, "Angularly resolved high-order harmonic generation in helium," Phys. Rev. A 49, R28-R31 (1994). [PubMed]
18. D. E. Aspnes, "High-efficiency concave-grating monochromator with wavelength-independent focusing characteristics," J. Opt. Soc. Am. 72, 1056-1061 (1982).
19. T. Kita, T. Harada, N. Nakano, and H. Kuroda, "Mechanically ruled aberration-corrected concave gratings for a flat-field grazing-incidence spectrograph," Appl. Opt. 22, 512-513(1983) [PubMed]
20. J. Zhou, J. Peatross, M. M. Murnane, and H. C. Kapteyn, "Enhanced high-harmonic generation using 25 fs laser pulses," Phys. Rev. Lett. 76, 752 - 5 (1996). [PubMed]
21. H. J. Shin, D. G. Lee, Y. H. Cha, K. H. Hong, and C. H. Nam, "Generation of nonadiabatic blueshift of high harmonics in an intense femtosecond laser field," Phys. Rev. Lett. 83, 2544 - 2547 (1999).
22. I. P. Christov, J. Zhou, J. Peatross, A. Rundquist, M. M. Murnane, and H. C. Kapteyn, "Nonadiabatic Effects in High-Harmonic Generation with Ultrashort Pulses," Phys. Rev. Lett. 77, 1743 - 46 (1996). [PubMed]
23. I. P. Christov, M. M. Murnane, and H. C. Kapteyn, "Generation and propagation of attosecond x-ray pulses in gaseous media," Phys. Rev. A 57, R2285 - 88 (1998).
24. P. Sali`eres, A. L’Huillier, and M. Lewenstein, "Coherence Control of High-Order Harmonics," Phys. Rev. Lett. 74, 3776-3779 (1995). [PubMed]
25. P. Balcou, P. Salieres, A. LHuillier, and M. Lewenstein, "Generalized phase-matching conditions for high harmonics: the role of field-gradient forces," Phys. Rev. A 55, 3204 - 10 (1997).
26. G. Scoles, Atomic and Molecular Beam Methods:Volume1 (Oxford University Press, New York, 1988).
27. R. N. Coffee and G. N. Gibson, "vuv fluorescence from selective high-order multiphoton excitation of N2, " Phys. Rev. A 69, 53407 - 10 (2004).
28. A. McPherson, G. Gibson, H. Jara, U. Johann, T. Luk, I. McIntyre, K. Boyer, and C. Rhodes, "Studies of Multiphoton Production of Vacuum Ultraviolet-Radiation in the Rare-Gases," J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 4, 595-601 (1987).
29. A. Talebpour, M. Abdel-Fattah, A. Bandrauk, and S. Chin, "Spectroscopy of the gases interacting with intense femtosecond laser pulses," Laser Phys. 11, 68-76 (2001).
30. J. Reader, N. Acquista, and V. Kaufman, "Spectrum and energy-levels of 7-times-ionized Krypton (Kr-VIII) and resonance lines of 8-times-ionized Krypton (Kr-IX)," J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 8, 538-547 (1991).
31. A. Kramida and M.-C. Buchet-Poulizac, "Energy levels and spectral lines of Ne II," Europ. Phys. J. D 39, 173-88 (2006).
32. S. Kane, Horiba Yobin-Yvon, private communication.
33. B. Blagojevic, E. O. Le Bigot, K. Fahy, A. Aguilar, K. Makonyi, E. Takacs, J. N. Tan, J. M. Pomeroy, J. H. Burnett, J. D. Gillaspy, and J. R. Roberts, "A high efficiency ultrahigh vacuum compatible flat field spectrometer for extreme ultraviolet wavelengths," Rev. Sci. Instr. 76, 083102 (2005).

Appl. Opt.

• T. Kita, T. Harada, N. Nakano, and H. Kuroda, "Mechanically ruled aberration-corrected concave gratings for a flat-field grazing-incidence spectrograph," Appl. Opt. 22, 512-513(1983) [PubMed]

Chem. Phys. Lett.

• Th. Pfeifer, M. J. Abel, P. M. Nagel, A. Jullien, Z.-H. Loh, M. J. Bell, D. M. Neumark, and S. R. Leone, "Timeresolved spectroscopy of attosecond quantum dynamics," Chem. Phys. Lett. 463, 11-24 (2008).

Europ. Phys. J. D

• A. Kramida and M.-C. Buchet-Poulizac, "Energy levels and spectral lines of Ne II," Europ. Phys. J. D 39, 173-88 (2006).

J. Opt. Soc. Am.

• D. E. Aspnes, "High-efficiency concave-grating monochromator with wavelength-independent focusing characteristics," J. Opt. Soc. Am. 72, 1056-1061 (1982).

J. Opt. Soc. Am. B

• A. McPherson, G. Gibson, H. Jara, U. Johann, T. Luk, I. McIntyre, K. Boyer, and C. Rhodes, "Studies of Multiphoton Production of Vacuum Ultraviolet-Radiation in the Rare-Gases," J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 4, 595-601 (1987).
• J. Reader, N. Acquista, and V. Kaufman, "Spectrum and energy-levels of 7-times-ionized Krypton (Kr-VIII) and resonance lines of 8-times-ionized Krypton (Kr-IX)," J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 8, 538-547 (1991).

J. Phys. B

• M. Lein, "Molecular imaging using recolliding electrons," J. Phys. B 40, R135-R173 (2007).

Laser Phys.

• A. Talebpour, M. Abdel-Fattah, A. Bandrauk, and S. Chin, "Spectroscopy of the gases interacting with intense femtosecond laser pulses," Laser Phys. 11, 68-76 (2001).

Nature

• J. Itatani, J. Levesque, D. Zeidler, H. Niikura, H. Pepin, J. C. Kieffer, P. B. Corkum, and D. M. Villeneuve, "Tomographic imaging of molecular orbitals," Nature 432, 867 - 871 (2004). [PubMed]

Nature Phys.

• Q1. P. B. Corkum and F. Krausz, "Attosecond science," Nature Phys. 3, 381-387 (2007).
• Q2. W. Boutu, S. Haessler, H. Merdji, P. Breger, G. Waters, M. Stankiewicz, L. J. Frasinski, R. Taieb, J. Caillat, A. Maquet, P. Monchicourt, B. Carre, and P. Salieres, "Coherent control of attosecond emission from aligned molecules," Nature Phys. 4, 545- 549 (2008).

Phys. Rev. A

• S. Minemoto, T. Umegaki, Y. Oguchi,T. Morishita, A. T. Le, S. Watanabe, and H. Sakai, "Retrieving photorecombination cross sections of atoms from high-order harmonic spectra," Phys. Rev. A 78, 061402 (2008).
• A.-T. Le, T. Morishita, and C. D. Lin, "Extraction of the species-dependent dipole amplitude and phase from high-order harmonic spectra in rare-gas atoms," Phys. Rev. A 78, 023814 (2008).
• M. Lein, N. Hay, R. Velotta, J. P. Marangos, and P. L. Knight, "Interference effects in high-order harmonic generation with molecules," Phys. Rev. A 66, 023,805 - 6 (2002).
• R. N. Coffee and G. N. Gibson, "vuv fluorescence from selective high-order multiphoton excitation of N2, " Phys. Rev. A 69, 53407 - 10 (2004).
• P. Balcou, P. Salieres, A. LHuillier, and M. Lewenstein, "Generalized phase-matching conditions for high harmonics: the role of field-gradient forces," Phys. Rev. A 55, 3204 - 10 (1997).
• J. Tisch, R. Smith, J. Muffett, M. Ciarrocca, J. Marangos, and M. Hutchinson, "Angularly resolved high-order harmonic generation in helium," Phys. Rev. A 49, R28-R31 (1994). [PubMed]
• I. P. Christov, M. M. Murnane, and H. C. Kapteyn, "Generation and propagation of attosecond x-ray pulses in gaseous media," Phys. Rev. A 57, R2285 - 88 (1998).

Phys. Rev. Lett.

• P. Sali`eres, A. L’Huillier, and M. Lewenstein, "Coherence Control of High-Order Harmonics," Phys. Rev. Lett. 74, 3776-3779 (1995). [PubMed]
• A. Ravasio et al. "Single-Shot Diffractive Imaging with a Table-Top Femtosecond Soft X-Ray Laser-Harmonics Source," Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 028104 (2009). [PubMed]
• C. Vozzi, F. Calegari, E. Benedetti, J. P. Caumes, G. Sansone, S. Stagira, M. Nisoli, R. Torres, E. Heesel, N. Kajumba, J. P. Marangos, C. Altucci, and R. Velotta, "Controlling two-center interference in molecular high harmonic generation," Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 153,902 - 4 (2005).
• H. J. W¨orner and H. Niikura and J. B. Bertrand, P. B. Corkum and D. M. Villeneuve, "Observation of electronic structure minima in high-harmonic generation," Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 103901 (2009). [PubMed]
• J. Zhou, J. Peatross, M. M. Murnane, and H. C. Kapteyn, "Enhanced high-harmonic generation using 25 fs laser pulses," Phys. Rev. Lett. 76, 752 - 5 (1996). [PubMed]
• H. J. Shin, D. G. Lee, Y. H. Cha, K. H. Hong, and C. H. Nam, "Generation of nonadiabatic blueshift of high harmonics in an intense femtosecond laser field," Phys. Rev. Lett. 83, 2544 - 2547 (1999).
• I. P. Christov, J. Zhou, J. Peatross, A. Rundquist, M. M. Murnane, and H. C. Kapteyn, "Nonadiabatic Effects in High-Harmonic Generation with Ultrashort Pulses," Phys. Rev. Lett. 77, 1743 - 46 (1996). [PubMed]

Rev. Mod. Phys.

• F. Krausz and M. Ivanov, "Attosecond physics," Rev. Mod. Phys. 81, 163 (2009).

Rev. Sci. Instr.

• B. Blagojevic, E. O. Le Bigot, K. Fahy, A. Aguilar, K. Makonyi, E. Takacs, J. N. Tan, J. M. Pomeroy, J. H. Burnett, J. D. Gillaspy, and J. R. Roberts, "A high efficiency ultrahigh vacuum compatible flat field spectrometer for extreme ultraviolet wavelengths," Rev. Sci. Instr. 76, 083102 (2005).

Science

• E. Goulielmakis, V. S. Yakovlev, A. L. Cavalieri, M. Uiberacker, V. Pervak, A. Apolonski, R. Kienberger, U. Kleineberg, and F. Krausz, "Attosecond control and measurement: lightwave electronics," Science 317, 769 (2007). [PubMed]
• E. Goulielmakis, M. Schultze, M. Hofstetter, V. S. Yakovlev, J. Gagnon, M. Uiberacker, A. L. Aquila, E. M. Gullikson, D. T. Attwood, R. Kienberger, F. Krausz, and U. Kleineberg, "Single-Cycle Nonlinear Optics," Science 320, 1614 (2008). [PubMed]
• B. K. McFarland, J. P. Farrell, P. H. Bucksbaum, and M. G¨uhr, "High Harmonic Generation from Multiple Orbitals in N2," Science 322, 1232-1235 (2008). [PubMed]

Other

• R. L. Sandberg, A. Paul, D. A. Raymondson, S. Hadrich, D. M. Gaudiosi, J. Holtsnider, R. I. Tobey, O. Cohen, M. M. Murnane, and H. C. Kapteyn, "Lensless diffractive imaging using tabletop coherent high-harmonic softx-ray beams," Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 098,103 (2007).
• S. Kane, Horiba Yobin-Yvon, private communication.
• G. Scoles, Atomic and Molecular Beam Methods:Volume1 (Oxford University Press, New York, 1988).

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