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Space-time considerations in the phase locking of high harmonics
Mette B Gaarde1, Kenneth J Schafer
1Department of Physics, Lund Institute of Technology, P.O. Box 118, S-22100 Lund, Sweden.
Physical Review Letters
|November 22, 2002
Summary
Generating attosecond pulse trains requires phase-locked high-order harmonics. Our calculations reveal that phase locking in argon and neon depends on both temporal and spatial factors, and cannot be fixed by temporal manipulation alone.
Area of Science:
- Quantum optics
- Ultrafast science
Background:
- Attosecond pulse trains are crucial for probing ultrafast dynamics.
- Generating these trains requires precise control over high-order harmonic generation (HHG).
- Phase locking of harmonics is a key requirement for attosecond pulse train synthesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the phase locking of high-order harmonics in argon and neon.
- To determine the influence of macroscopic conditions on phase locking.
- To explore the possibility of compensating for phase-locking deficiencies.
Main Methods:
- Numerical calculations of HHG in argon and neon.
- Analysis of temporal and spatial phase behavior of harmonics.
- Evaluation of phase matching conditions in the nonlinear medium.
Main Results:
- Phase locking is dependent on both temporal and spatial phase characteristics.
- The interplay between intrinsic dipole phase and phase matching is critical.
- Purely temporal phase manipulation cannot compensate for insufficient phase locking.
Conclusions:
- Achieving attosecond pulse trains necessitates careful consideration of both temporal and spatial phase dynamics.
- Macroscopic conditions significantly impact harmonic phase locking.
- Limitations exist in correcting phase-locking issues through temporal means alone.