The ensemble of lower orders produced in high order harmonic generation can be efficiently temporally separated by propagation in a fluoride window while still preserving their femtosecond pulse duration. We present calculations for MgF₂, CaF₂, and LiF windows for the third, fifth, and seventh harmonics of 800 nm. We use this simple and inexpensive technique in a pump/probe experiment to resolve femtosecond dynamics in the ethylene molecule.

© 2009 Optical Society of America

1. M. Drescher, M. Hentschel, R. Kienberger, M. Uiberacker, V. Yakovlev, A. Scrinzi, T. Westerwalbesloh, U. Kleineberg, U. Heinzmann, and F. Krausz, "Time-resolved atomic inner-shell spectroscopy," Nature 419, 803-807 (2002). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
2. E. Gagnon, P. Ranitovic, X.-M. Tong, C. L. Cocke, M. M. Murnane, H. C. Kapteyn, and A. S. Sandhu, "Soft X-ray-driven femtosecond molecular dynamics," Science 317, 1374-1378 (2007). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
3. E. Seres and C. Spielmann, "Ultrafast soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy with sub-20-fs resolution," App. Phys. Lett. 91, 121919 (2007). [CrossRef]
4. K. Kosma, S. A. Trushin, W. Fuss, and W. E. Schmid, "Ultrafast dynamics and coherent oscillations in ethylene and ethylene-d4 excited at 162 nm," J. Phys. Chem. A 112, 7514-7529 (2008). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
5. J. D. Koralek, J. F. Douglas, N. C. Plumb, J. D. Griffith, S. T. Cundiff, H. C. Kapteyn, M. M. Murnane, and D. S. Dessau, "Experimental setup for low-energy laser based angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy," Rev. Sci. Instrum. 78, 053905 (2007). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
6. J. A. R. Samson, Techniques of Vacuum Ultraviolet Spectroscopy (Pied Publications, 1967).
7. P. LaPorte, J. L. Subtil, M. Courbon, M. Bon, and L. Vincent, "Vacuum-ultraviolet refractive index of lif and mgf2 in the temperature range 80-300 k," J. Opt. Soc. Am. 73, 1062-1069 (1983). [CrossRef]
8. M. Daimon and A. Masumura, "High-accuracy measurements of the refractive index and its temperature coefficient of calcium fluoride in a wide wavelength range from 138 to 2326 nm," Appl. Opt. 41, 5275-5281 (2002). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
9. T. Sekikawa, T. Katsura, S. Miura, and S. Watanabe, "Measurement of the intensity-dependent atomic dipole phase of a high harmonic by frequency-resolved optical gating," Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 193902 (2002). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
10. P. Balcou, A. S. Dederichs, M. B. Gaarde, and A. L’Huillier, "Quantum-path analysis and phase matching of high-order harmonic generation and high-order frequency mixing processes in strong laser fields," J. Phys. B 32, 2973-2989 (1999). [CrossRef]
11. E. Takahashi, H. Hasegawa, Y. Nabekawa, and K. Midorikawa, "High-throughput, high-damage-threshold broadband beam splitter for high-order harmonics in the extreme-ultraviolet region," Opt. Lett. 29, 507-509 (2004). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
12. P. G. Wilkinson and R. S. Mulliken, "Far ultraviolet absorption spectra of ethylene and ethylene-d4," J. Chem. Phys. 23, 1895-1907 (1955). [CrossRef]
13. V. Stert, H. Lippert, H.-H. Ritze, and W. Radloff, "Femtosecond time-resolved dynamics of the electronically excited ethylene molecule," Chem. Phys. Lett. 388, 144-149 (2004). [CrossRef]
14. M. Barbatti, G. Granucci, M. Persico, and H. Lischka, "Semiempirical molecular dynamics investigation of the excited state lifetimes of ethylene," Chem. Phys. Lett. 401, 276-281 (2004). [CrossRef]
15. T. E. Glover, A. H. Chin, and R. W. Shoenlein, "High harmonic pulse broadening in an ionizing medium," Phys. Rev. A 63, 023403 (2001). [CrossRef]
16. J. Mauritsson, P. Johnsson, R. L’opez-Martens, K. Varj’u, W. Kornelis, J. Biegert, U. Keller, M. B. Gaarde, K. J. Schafer, and A. L’Huillier, "Measurement and control of the frequency chirp rate of high-order harmonic pulses," Phys. Rev. A 70, 021801 (2004). [CrossRef]
17. E. Gustafsson, T. Ruchon, M. Swoboda, T. Remetter, E. Pourtal, R. L’opez-Martens, P. Balcou, and A. L’Huillier, "Broadband attosecond pulse shaping," Opt. Lett. 32, 1353-1355 (2007). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
18. T. Sekikawa, T. Ohno, T. Yamazaki, Y. Nabekawa, and S. Watanabe, "Pulse compression of a high-order harmonic by compensating the atomic dipole phase," Phys. Rev. Lett. 83, 2564 (1999). [CrossRef]
19. P. Tzallas, D. Charalambidis, N. A. Papadogiannis, K. Witte, and G. D. Tsakiris, "Direct observation of attosecond light bunching," Nature 426, 267-271 (2003). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
20. T. Okino, K. Yamanouchi, T. Shimizu, K. Furusawa, H. Hasegawa, Y. Nabekawa, and K. Midorikawa, "Attosecond molecular coulomb explosion," Chem. Phys. Lett. 432, 68-73 (2006). [CrossRef]

App. Phys. Lett.

• E. Seres and C. Spielmann, "Ultrafast soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy with sub-20-fs resolution," App. Phys. Lett. 91, 121919 (2007). [CrossRef]

Appl. Opt.

• M. Daimon and A. Masumura, "High-accuracy measurements of the refractive index and its temperature coefficient of calcium fluoride in a wide wavelength range from 138 to 2326 nm," Appl. Opt. 41, 5275-5281 (2002). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Chem. Phys. Lett.

• V. Stert, H. Lippert, H.-H. Ritze, and W. Radloff, "Femtosecond time-resolved dynamics of the electronically excited ethylene molecule," Chem. Phys. Lett. 388, 144-149 (2004). [CrossRef]
• M. Barbatti, G. Granucci, M. Persico, and H. Lischka, "Semiempirical molecular dynamics investigation of the excited state lifetimes of ethylene," Chem. Phys. Lett. 401, 276-281 (2004). [CrossRef]
• T. Okino, K. Yamanouchi, T. Shimizu, K. Furusawa, H. Hasegawa, Y. Nabekawa, and K. Midorikawa, "Attosecond molecular coulomb explosion," Chem. Phys. Lett. 432, 68-73 (2006). [CrossRef]

J. Chem. Phys.

• P. G. Wilkinson and R. S. Mulliken, "Far ultraviolet absorption spectra of ethylene and ethylene-d4," J. Chem. Phys. 23, 1895-1907 (1955). [CrossRef]

J. Opt. Soc. Am.

• P. LaPorte, J. L. Subtil, M. Courbon, M. Bon, and L. Vincent, "Vacuum-ultraviolet refractive index of lif and mgf2 in the temperature range 80-300 k," J. Opt. Soc. Am. 73, 1062-1069 (1983). [CrossRef]

J. Phys. B

• P. Balcou, A. S. Dederichs, M. B. Gaarde, and A. L’Huillier, "Quantum-path analysis and phase matching of high-order harmonic generation and high-order frequency mixing processes in strong laser fields," J. Phys. B 32, 2973-2989 (1999). [CrossRef]

J. Phys. Chem. A

• K. Kosma, S. A. Trushin, W. Fuss, and W. E. Schmid, "Ultrafast dynamics and coherent oscillations in ethylene and ethylene-d4 excited at 162 nm," J. Phys. Chem. A 112, 7514-7529 (2008). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Nature

• M. Drescher, M. Hentschel, R. Kienberger, M. Uiberacker, V. Yakovlev, A. Scrinzi, T. Westerwalbesloh, U. Kleineberg, U. Heinzmann, and F. Krausz, "Time-resolved atomic inner-shell spectroscopy," Nature 419, 803-807 (2002). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• P. Tzallas, D. Charalambidis, N. A. Papadogiannis, K. Witte, and G. D. Tsakiris, "Direct observation of attosecond light bunching," Nature 426, 267-271 (2003). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Opt. Lett.

• E. Gustafsson, T. Ruchon, M. Swoboda, T. Remetter, E. Pourtal, R. L’opez-Martens, P. Balcou, and A. L’Huillier, "Broadband attosecond pulse shaping," Opt. Lett. 32, 1353-1355 (2007). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• E. Takahashi, H. Hasegawa, Y. Nabekawa, and K. Midorikawa, "High-throughput, high-damage-threshold broadband beam splitter for high-order harmonics in the extreme-ultraviolet region," Opt. Lett. 29, 507-509 (2004). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Phys. Rev. A

• T. E. Glover, A. H. Chin, and R. W. Shoenlein, "High harmonic pulse broadening in an ionizing medium," Phys. Rev. A 63, 023403 (2001). [CrossRef]
• J. Mauritsson, P. Johnsson, R. L’opez-Martens, K. Varj’u, W. Kornelis, J. Biegert, U. Keller, M. B. Gaarde, K. J. Schafer, and A. L’Huillier, "Measurement and control of the frequency chirp rate of high-order harmonic pulses," Phys. Rev. A 70, 021801 (2004). [CrossRef]

Phys. Rev. Lett.

• T. Sekikawa, T. Katsura, S. Miura, and S. Watanabe, "Measurement of the intensity-dependent atomic dipole phase of a high harmonic by frequency-resolved optical gating," Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 193902 (2002). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• T. Sekikawa, T. Ohno, T. Yamazaki, Y. Nabekawa, and S. Watanabe, "Pulse compression of a high-order harmonic by compensating the atomic dipole phase," Phys. Rev. Lett. 83, 2564 (1999). [CrossRef]

Rev. Sci. Instrum.

• J. D. Koralek, J. F. Douglas, N. C. Plumb, J. D. Griffith, S. T. Cundiff, H. C. Kapteyn, M. M. Murnane, and D. S. Dessau, "Experimental setup for low-energy laser based angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy," Rev. Sci. Instrum. 78, 053905 (2007). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Science

• E. Gagnon, P. Ranitovic, X.-M. Tong, C. L. Cocke, M. M. Murnane, H. C. Kapteyn, and A. S. Sandhu, "Soft X-ray-driven femtosecond molecular dynamics," Science 317, 1374-1378 (2007). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Other

• J. A. R. Samson, Techniques of Vacuum Ultraviolet Spectroscopy (Pied Publications, 1967).

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