Attosecond ionization control for broadband supercontinuum generation using a weak 400-nm few-cycle controlling pulse

doi:10.1364/OE.20.027226

Attosecond ionization control for broadband supercontinuum generation using a weak 400-nm few-cycle controlling pulse

Hongchuan Du, Laoyong Luo, Xiaoshan Wang, and Bitao Hu »View Author Affiliations

Optics Express, Vol. 20, Issue 24, pp. 27226-27241 (2012)
http://dx.doi.org/10.1364/OE.20.027226

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Abstract

We theoretically demonstrate a method for generating the broadband supercontinuum. It is found that a weak 400-nm few-cycle pulse can be used to replace the ultraviolet attosecond pulse for controlling the ionization dynamics of the electron wave packets when a long-wavelength driving pulse is adopted. By adding a 400-nm few-cycle laser pulse to a 2000-nm driving pulse at proper time, only a quantum path can be selected to effectively contribute to the harmonics, leading to the efficient generation of a broadband supercontinuum. Moreover, our scheme is stable against nearly all the small parameter shift of the driving pulse and the controlling pulse. The macroscopic investigation reveals that the macroscopic supercontinuum with the bandwidth of about 165eV can be obtained. Then isolated sub-110-as pulses can be directly generated. Moreover, the generated attosecond pulse has a divergence angle of about 0.1mrad in the far field, which indicates its beam quality is good. Besides, it is also found that a near-field spatial filter can be used to select the different quantum paths (short or long) in the far field.

OCIS Codes
(190.4160) Nonlinear optics : Multiharmonic generation
(300.6560) Spectroscopy : Spectroscopy, x-ray
(320.7110) Ultrafast optics : Ultrafast nonlinear optics

ToC Category:
Supercontinuum Generation and Ultra-Short Pulses

History
Original Manuscript: September 14, 2012
Revised Manuscript: November 5, 2012
Manuscript Accepted: November 5, 2012
Published: November 19, 2012

Virtual Issues
Nonlinear Photonics (2012) Optics Express

Citation
Hongchuan Du, Laoyong Luo, Xiaoshan Wang, and Bitao Hu, "Attosecond ionization control for broadband supercontinuum generation using a weak 400-nm few-cycle controlling pulse," Opt. Express 20, 27226-27241 (2012)
http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/abstract.cfm?URI=oe-20-24-27226

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