Nikola Stojanovic

Single-shot pulse duration monitor for extreme ultraviolet and X-ray free-electron lasers

The resolution of ultrafast studies performed at extreme ultraviolet and X-ray free-electron lasers is still limited by shot-to-shot variations of the temporal pulse characteristics. Here we show a versatile single-shot temporal diagnostic tool that allows the determination of the extreme ultraviolet pulse duration and the relative arrival time with respect to an external pump-probe laser pulse. This method is based on time-resolved optical probing of the transient reflectivity change due to linear absorption of the extreme ultraviolet pulse within a solid material. In this work, we present measurements performed at the FLASH free-electron laser. We determine the pulse duration at two distinct wavelengths, yielding (184±14) fs at 41.5 nm and (21±19) fs at 5.5 nm. Furthermore, we demonstrate the feasibility to operate the tool as an online diagnostic by using a 20-nm-thin Si3N4 membrane as target. Our results are supported by detailed numerical and analytical investigations.

Accelerator- and laser-based sources of high-field terahertz pulses

At present we are witnessing a rapid development of sources for terahertz (THz) pulses with very strong electromagnetic fields. These pulses are reaching a stage where they can be used to not only probe, but also uniquely control a variety of processes that range from fundamental dynamics in individual atoms and molecules, through phase transitions in solids to a wealth of interactions in biological materials. In this review, we are presenting an overview of two major directions in the generation of such radiation. Large-scale accelerator-based sources offer unprecedented pulse energies coupled with a wide tuning range and extreme repetition rates. Laser-based sources, on the other hand, are laboratory-scale instruments and thus are very attractive in their availability to the wide scientific community. The capabilities of different variants of these THz sources are evaluated and compared with each other. In addition, powerful techniques for the temporal characterization of THz pulses are discussed.

Correlated electronic decay in expanding clusters triggered by intense XUV pulses from a Free-Electron-Laser

Irradiation of nanoscale clusters and large molecules with intense laser pulses transforms them into highly-excited non- equilibrium states. The dynamics of intense laser-cluster interaction is encoded in electron kinetic energy spectra, which contain signatures of direct photoelectron emission as well as emission of thermalized nanoplasma electrons. In this work we report on a so far not observed spectrally narrow bound state signature in the electron kinetic energy spectra from mixed Xe core - Ar shell clusters ionized by intense extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) pulses from a free-electron-laser. This signature is attributed to the correlated electronic decay (CED) process, in which an excited atom relaxes and the excess energy is used to ionize the same or another excited atom or a nanoplasma electron. By applying the terahertz field streaking principle we demonstrate that CED-electrons are emitted at least a few picoseconds after the ionizing XUV pulse has ended. Following the recent finding of CED in clusters ionized by intense near-infrared laser pulses, our observation of CED in the XUV range suggests that this process is of general relevance for the relaxation dynamics in laser produced nanoplasmas.

THz pulse doubler at FLASH: double pulses for pump–probe experiments at X-ray FELs

Double electron bunch lasing at an X-ray free-electron laser for temporal overlap in pump–probe experiments is presented.