Attosecond metrology of vacuum-ultraviolet high-order harmonics generated in semiconductors via laser-dressed photoionization of alkali metals
Abstract Semiconductor crystals driven by strong mid-infrared pulses offer advantages for studying many-body physics and ultrafast optoelectronics via high-harmonic generation. While the process has been used to study solids in the presence strong mid-infrared fields, its potential as an attosecond...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2025-02-01
|
| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56759-0 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1823861798183370752 |
|---|---|
| author | Arjun Nayak Debobrata Rajak Balázs Farkas Camilio Granados Philipp Stammer Javier Rivera-Dean Theocharis Lamprou Katalin Varju Yann Mairesse Marcelo F. Ciappina Maciej Lewenstein Paraskevas Tzallas |
| author_facet | Arjun Nayak Debobrata Rajak Balázs Farkas Camilio Granados Philipp Stammer Javier Rivera-Dean Theocharis Lamprou Katalin Varju Yann Mairesse Marcelo F. Ciappina Maciej Lewenstein Paraskevas Tzallas |
| author_sort | Arjun Nayak |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Semiconductor crystals driven by strong mid-infrared pulses offer advantages for studying many-body physics and ultrafast optoelectronics via high-harmonic generation. While the process has been used to study solids in the presence strong mid-infrared fields, its potential as an attosecond light source is largely underexplored. We demonstrate that high-harmonics emitted from zinc-oxide crystals produce attosecond pulses, measured through spectroscopy of alkali metals. Using a cross-correlation approach, we photoionize Cesium atoms with vacuum-ultraviolet high-harmonics in the presence of a mid-infrared laser field. We observe oscillations in the photoelectron yield, originating from the instantaneous polarization of atoms by the laser field. The phase of these oscillations encodes the attosecond synchronization of the high-harmonics and is used for attosecond pulse metrology. This source opens new spectral windows for attosecond spectroscopy, enabling studies of bound-state dynamics in natural systems with low ionization energies, while facilitating the generation of non-classical entangled light states in the visible-VUV. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4736a74767924b9cba2933759729cfd7 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-4736a74767924b9cba2933759729cfd72025-02-09T12:44:30ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-02-011611810.1038/s41467-025-56759-0Attosecond metrology of vacuum-ultraviolet high-order harmonics generated in semiconductors via laser-dressed photoionization of alkali metalsArjun Nayak0Debobrata Rajak1Balázs Farkas2Camilio Granados3Philipp Stammer4Javier Rivera-Dean5Theocharis Lamprou6Katalin Varju7Yann Mairesse8Marcelo F. Ciappina9Maciej Lewenstein10Paraskevas Tzallas11ELI-ALPS, ELI-Hu Non-Profit Ltd.ELI-ALPS, ELI-Hu Non-Profit Ltd.ELI-ALPS, ELI-Hu Non-Profit Ltd.Department of Physics, Guangdong Technion - Israel Institute of TechnologyICFO - Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, The Barcelona Institute of Science and TechnologyICFO - Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, The Barcelona Institute of Science and TechnologyFoundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Institute of Electronic Structure & LaserELI-ALPS, ELI-Hu Non-Profit Ltd.Université de Bordeaux–CNRS–CEA, CELIA, UMR5107Department of Physics, Guangdong Technion - Israel Institute of TechnologyICFO - Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, The Barcelona Institute of Science and TechnologyELI-ALPS, ELI-Hu Non-Profit Ltd.Abstract Semiconductor crystals driven by strong mid-infrared pulses offer advantages for studying many-body physics and ultrafast optoelectronics via high-harmonic generation. While the process has been used to study solids in the presence strong mid-infrared fields, its potential as an attosecond light source is largely underexplored. We demonstrate that high-harmonics emitted from zinc-oxide crystals produce attosecond pulses, measured through spectroscopy of alkali metals. Using a cross-correlation approach, we photoionize Cesium atoms with vacuum-ultraviolet high-harmonics in the presence of a mid-infrared laser field. We observe oscillations in the photoelectron yield, originating from the instantaneous polarization of atoms by the laser field. The phase of these oscillations encodes the attosecond synchronization of the high-harmonics and is used for attosecond pulse metrology. This source opens new spectral windows for attosecond spectroscopy, enabling studies of bound-state dynamics in natural systems with low ionization energies, while facilitating the generation of non-classical entangled light states in the visible-VUV.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56759-0 |
| spellingShingle | Arjun Nayak Debobrata Rajak Balázs Farkas Camilio Granados Philipp Stammer Javier Rivera-Dean Theocharis Lamprou Katalin Varju Yann Mairesse Marcelo F. Ciappina Maciej Lewenstein Paraskevas Tzallas Attosecond metrology of vacuum-ultraviolet high-order harmonics generated in semiconductors via laser-dressed photoionization of alkali metals Nature Communications |
| title | Attosecond metrology of vacuum-ultraviolet high-order harmonics generated in semiconductors via laser-dressed photoionization of alkali metals |
| title_full | Attosecond metrology of vacuum-ultraviolet high-order harmonics generated in semiconductors via laser-dressed photoionization of alkali metals |
| title_fullStr | Attosecond metrology of vacuum-ultraviolet high-order harmonics generated in semiconductors via laser-dressed photoionization of alkali metals |
| title_full_unstemmed | Attosecond metrology of vacuum-ultraviolet high-order harmonics generated in semiconductors via laser-dressed photoionization of alkali metals |
| title_short | Attosecond metrology of vacuum-ultraviolet high-order harmonics generated in semiconductors via laser-dressed photoionization of alkali metals |
| title_sort | attosecond metrology of vacuum ultraviolet high order harmonics generated in semiconductors via laser dressed photoionization of alkali metals |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56759-0 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT arjunnayak attosecondmetrologyofvacuumultraviolethighorderharmonicsgeneratedinsemiconductorsvialaserdressedphotoionizationofalkalimetals AT debobratarajak attosecondmetrologyofvacuumultraviolethighorderharmonicsgeneratedinsemiconductorsvialaserdressedphotoionizationofalkalimetals AT balazsfarkas attosecondmetrologyofvacuumultraviolethighorderharmonicsgeneratedinsemiconductorsvialaserdressedphotoionizationofalkalimetals AT camiliogranados attosecondmetrologyofvacuumultraviolethighorderharmonicsgeneratedinsemiconductorsvialaserdressedphotoionizationofalkalimetals AT philippstammer attosecondmetrologyofvacuumultraviolethighorderharmonicsgeneratedinsemiconductorsvialaserdressedphotoionizationofalkalimetals AT javierriveradean attosecondmetrologyofvacuumultraviolethighorderharmonicsgeneratedinsemiconductorsvialaserdressedphotoionizationofalkalimetals AT theocharislamprou attosecondmetrologyofvacuumultraviolethighorderharmonicsgeneratedinsemiconductorsvialaserdressedphotoionizationofalkalimetals AT katalinvarju attosecondmetrologyofvacuumultraviolethighorderharmonicsgeneratedinsemiconductorsvialaserdressedphotoionizationofalkalimetals AT yannmairesse attosecondmetrologyofvacuumultraviolethighorderharmonicsgeneratedinsemiconductorsvialaserdressedphotoionizationofalkalimetals AT marcelofciappina attosecondmetrologyofvacuumultraviolethighorderharmonicsgeneratedinsemiconductorsvialaserdressedphotoionizationofalkalimetals AT maciejlewenstein attosecondmetrologyofvacuumultraviolethighorderharmonicsgeneratedinsemiconductorsvialaserdressedphotoionizationofalkalimetals AT paraskevastzallas attosecondmetrologyofvacuumultraviolethighorderharmonicsgeneratedinsemiconductorsvialaserdressedphotoionizationofalkalimetals |