Studying the faster processes in nature
Very short light pulses in the extreme ultraviolet (XUV) part of the light spectrum are needed to study and manipulate electrons that are spinning around atomic nuclei. Recent advances in laser production have brought attosecond light pulses to an unprecedented level of maturity. These light pulses only last a millionth of a millionth of a millionth of a second ( namely 10^-18 s. Prior to initiation of the 'Femtosecond lasers for the generation of ultrafast XUV pulses' (FLUX) project, attosecond laser pulses were demonstrated in proof-of-concept experiments. However, the weak intensity of the laser pulses needed to be resolved, requiring the development of carrier envelope phase and high-harmonic generation technology. During the course of the FLUX project, researchers worked on developing laser pulses combining short pulse duration with sufficient pulse energy. The FLUX researchers successfully performed the first attosecond XUV pump-attosecond XUV probe experiment with attosecond resolution. They resolved jitter issues and improved intensity of laser pulses. The developed technologies were subsequently used in atomic experiments for tracking time-dependent electron dynamics. On the other hand, sSuccessful realisation of the attosecond laser pulses has allowed industrial partners in the FLUX project to bring the new laser system to market. This technology should give them a significant competitive edge in the laser systems market.
Keywords
Attosecond, laser, light source, extreme ultraviolet, electrons, atom, experiments, intensity, carrier envelope phase, high-harmonic generation, jitter, femtosecond
