Delay control in attosecond pump-probe experiments.

Area of Science:

• Ultrafast science
• Attosecond physics
• Optical metrology

Background:

• Attosecond time-resolved experiments rely on precise control of time delays between optical pulses.
• Traditional interferometric methods for time delay control are susceptible to mechanical vibrations and environmental fluctuations, limiting experimental stability.
• Instabilities in optical path lengths can introduce significant timing errors in pump-probe experiments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel technique for stabilizing interferometers used in attosecond time-resolved experiments.
• To demonstrate precise control of the time delay between pump and probe pulses with sub-20 attosecond root-mean-square (RMS) accuracy.
• To overcome the limitations of conventional interferometric setups in demanding ultrafast science applications.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of an unconventional interferometer with an active feedback loop.
• Utilizing a feedback mechanism to actively suppress instabilities in optical path lengths.
• Employing the stabilized interferometer to perform attosecond streaking measurements.

Main Results:

• Suppression of interferometer instability was achieved through the feedback loop.
• The time delay was controlled with an RMS precision of 20 attoseconds.
• A streaked spectrogram of an attosecond pulse was successfully measured using the developed technique.

Conclusions:

• The presented feedback-controlled technique significantly enhances the stability of attosecond time-resolved experiments.
• Precise attosecond time delay control is achievable, enabling more accurate investigations of ultrafast phenomena.
• This method offers a robust solution for overcoming environmental and mechanical disturbances in optical experiments.