Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 23, 2026
11:33
All-electronic Nanosecond-resolved Scanning Tunneling Microscopy: Facilitating the Investigation of Single Dopant Charge Dynamics
Published on: January 19, 2018
Attosecond control of electronic processes by intense light fields.
A Baltuska1, Th Udem, M Uiberacker
1Institut für Photonik, Technische Universität Wien, Gusshausstrasse. 27, A-1040 Wien, Austria.
Nature
|February 7, 2003
Summary
Scientists generated intense laser pulses with a stable carrier-envelope phase. This breakthrough allows precise control over atomic motion and attosecond X-ray emission, enabling new studies in quantum mechanics.
Area of Science:
- Quantum Optics
- Attosecond Science
- Strong-Field Physics
Background:
- Laser light control is typically achieved via amplitude and frequency on femtosecond timescales.
- Characterizing and controlling few-cycle laser pulses requires understanding the carrier-envelope phase (CEP).
- Random shot-to-shot CEP shifts have hindered reproducible control of light-matter interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To generate intense, few-cycle laser pulses with a stable carrier-envelope phase (CEP).
- To demonstrate the precise control of atomic motion and electronic wave packets using these stable CEP pulses.
- To utilize the controlled light waveforms for generating and characterizing attosecond soft X-ray emission.
Main Methods:
- Generation of intense, few-cycle laser pulses with stabilized carrier-envelope phase.
- Creation of light-induced atomic currents in ionized matter.
- Control of electronic wave packet motion on attosecond timescales.
- Generation and analysis of coherent soft X-ray emission.
Main Results:
- Achieved generation of intense laser pulses with stable carrier-envelope phase.
- Demonstrated reproducible triggering and steering of microscopic motion with quantum-limited precision.
- Controlled electronic wave packet motion on timescales shorter than 250 attoseconds.
- Generated attosecond soft X-ray emission with controllable temporal structure.
Conclusions:
- Stable carrier-envelope phase laser pulses enable unprecedented control over light-field-driven atomic processes.
- Attosecond control of electronic motion and soft X-ray emission is achievable.
- This technology offers a new tool for probing and manipulating matter at the attosecond scale.
Related Concept Videos
01:15Transmission Electron Microscopy
In 1931, physicist Ernst Ruska—building on the idea that magnetic fields can direct an electron beam just as lenses can direct a beam of light in an optical microscope—developed the first prototype of the electron microscope. This development led to the development of the field of electron microscopy. In the transmission electron microscope (TEM), electrons are produced by a hot tungsten element and accelerated by a potential difference in an electron gun, which gives them up to 400 keV in...
01:20Atomic Emission Spectroscopy: Overview
Atomic emission spectroscopy (AES) is an analytical technique used to determine the elemental composition of a sample by analyzing the light emitted from excited atoms. In AES, atoms in a sample are excited to higher energy levels by thermal energy from high-temperature sources, such as plasma, arcs, or sparks. When these excited atoms return to lower energy states, they emit light at specific wavelengths characteristic of each element. The resulting atomic emission spectrum, which consists of...
01:29Atomic Fluorescence Spectroscopy
Atomic fluorescence spectroscopy (AFS) is an analytical technique that involves the electronic transitions of atoms in a flame, furnace, or plasma being excited by electromagnetic (EM) radiation. When these atoms absorb energy, they become excited and subsequently release energy as they return to their original state. This emitted light, or "fluorescence," is observed at a right angle to the incident beam. Both absorption and emission processes transpire at distinct wavelengths, which are...