Erik Mansten

Coherent electron scattering captured by an attosecond quantum stroboscope.

We demonstrate a quantum stroboscope based on a sequence of identical attosecond pulses that are used to release electrons into a strong infrared (IR) laser field exactly once per laser cycle. The resulting electron momentum distributions are recorded as a function of time delay between the IR laser and the attosecond pulse train using a velocity map imaging spectrometer. Because our train of attosecond pulses creates a train of identical electron wave packets, a single ionization event can be studied stroboscopically. This technique has enabled us to image the coherent electron scattering that takes place when the IR field is sufficiently strong to reverse the initial direction of the electron motion causing it to rescatter from its parent ion.

A high-flux high-order harmonic source

We develop and implement an experimental strategy for the generation of high-energy high-order harmonics (HHG) in gases for studies of nonlinear processes in the soft x-ray region. We generate high-order harmonics by focusing a high energy Ti:Sapphire laser into a gas cell filled with argon or neon. The energy per pulse is optimized by an automated control of the multiple parameters that influence the generation process. This optimization procedure allows us to obtain energies per pulse and harmonic order as high as 200 nJ in argon and 20 nJ in neon, with good spatial properties, using a loose focusing geometry (f#≈400) and a 20 mm long medium. We also theoretically examine the macroscopic conditions for absorption-limited conversion efficiency and optimization of the HHG pulse energy for high-energy laser systems.

Spectral signature of short attosecond pulse trains.

We report experimental measurements of high-order harmonic spectra generated in Ar using a carrier-envelope-offset (CEO) stabilized 12 fs, 800 nm laser field and a fraction (less than 10%) of its second harmonic. Additional spectral peaks are observed between the harmonic peaks, which are due to interferences between multiple pulses in the train. The position of these peaks varies with the CEO and their number is directly related to the number of pulses in the train. An analytical model, as well as numerical simulations, support our interpretation.

Spectral shaping of attosecond pulses using two-colour laser fields

We use a strong two-colour laser field composed of the fundamental (800 nm) and the second harmonic (400 nm) of an infrared (IR) laser field to generate attosecond pulses with controlled spectral and temporal properties. With a second-harmonic intensity equal to 15% of the IR intensity the second-harmonic field is strong enough to significantly alter and control the electron trajectories in the generation process. This enables us to tune the central photon energy of the attosecond pulses by changing the phase difference between the IR and the second-harmonic fields. In the time domain the radiation is emitted as a sequence of pulses separated by a full IR cycle. We also perform calculations showing that the effect of even stronger second-harmonic fields leads to an extended tunable range under conditions that are experimentally feasible.

Sub-cycle control of attosecond pulse generation using two-colour laser fields

Strong field laser-matter interaction is intrinsically a sub-cycle phenomenon, which is clearly illustrated by the generation of attosecond pulses through the high-order harmonic process. Therefore, to control strong field processes the structure of the field driving the generation has to be controlled on a sub-cycle level. One approach is to use phase stabilized few-cycle driving pulses and vary the carrier-envelope phase of these pulses; an alternative method is to use longer pulses and include the second harmonic to tailor the field structure.

Macroscopic effects in attosecond pulse generation

We examine how the generation and propagation of high-order harmonics in a partly ionized gas medium affect their strength and synchronization. The temporal properties of the resulting attosecond pulses generated in long gas targets can be significantly influenced by macroscopic effects, in particular by the intensity in the medium and the degree of ionization which control the dispersion. Under some conditions, the use of gas targets longer than the absorption length can lead to the generation of compressed attosecond pulses. We show these macroscopic effects experimentally, using a 6 mm-long argon-filled gas cell as the generating medium.

Metrology of high-order harmonics for free-electron laser seeding

We examine the characteristics of high-order harmonics generated with 800 nm, 25 mJ, 160 fs laser pulses in an Ar gas cell with the objective of seeding a free electron laser. We measure the energy per pulse and per harmonic, the energy jitter, the divergence and the position stability of the harmonic beam. We perform ab initio numerical simulations based on integration of the time-dependent Schrodinger equation and of the wave equation within the slowly varying envelope approximation. The results reproduce the experimental measurements to better than a factor of two. The interaction of a frequency comb of harmonic fields with an electron bunch in an undulator is examined with a simple model consisting of calculating the energy modulation owing to the seed-electron interaction. The model indicates that the undulator acts as a spectral filter selecting a given harmonic. (Less)

The MAX IV Facility

The MAX IV facility is a planned successor of the existing MAX facility. The planned facility is described below. It consists of two new synchrotron storage rings operated at different electron energies to cover a broad spectral region and one linac injector. The linac injector is also meant to be operated as a FEL electron source. The two rings have similar low emittance lattices and are placed on top of each other to save space. A third UV light source, MAX III, is planned to be transferred to the new facility.

Trains of attosecond electron wave packets

We study temporally localized electron wave packets, generated using a train of extreme ultraviolet (XUV) attosecond pulses to ionize the target atoms. Both the electron wave packets and the attosecond pulse train (APT) are characterized using the same technique, based on interference of two-photon transitions in the continuum. We study, in particular, the energy transfer from a moderately strong infrared (IR) field to the electron wave packets as a function of time delay between the XUV and the IR fields. The use of an APT to generate the electron wave packets enables the generation at times not accessible through tunneling ionization. We find that a significant amount of energy is transferred from the IR field to the electron wave packets, when they are generated at a zero-crossing of the IR laser field. This energy transfer results in a dramatically enhanced above-threshold ionization even at IR intensities that alone are not strong enough to induce any significant ionization.

FemtoMAX – an X-ray beamline for structural dynamics at the short-pulse facility of MAX IV

The FemtoMAX beamline facilitates studies of the structural dynamics of materials on the femtosecond timescale. The first commissioning results are presented.