High-harmonic generation wave front dependence on a driving infrared wave front

Area of Science:

• Laser Physics
• Quantum Optics
• Attosecond Science

Background:

• High-harmonic generation (HHG) produces coherent XUV to soft X-ray light from table-top lasers.
• Controlling the wavefront (WF) of this light is crucial for applications like imaging and spectroscopy.
• Current methods for wavefront control are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate control over the XUV wavefront generated by HHG.
• To investigate the correlation between the driving IR laser's wavefront and the generated XUV wavefront.
• To enable wavefront shaping without altering XUV optics.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a deformable mirror to tailor the wavefront of the driving infrared laser.
• Employed wavefront sensors to monitor both the IR and XUV beams.
• Conducted propagation simulations to understand the observed phenomena.

Main Results:

• Successfully controlled the XUV wavefront by manipulating the driving IR laser wavefront.
• Demonstrated precise control over astigmatism in the XUV beam by adjusting the IR beam's astigmatism.
• Maintained high HHG efficiency while improving wavefront quality from λ/8 to λ/13.3.

Conclusions:

• Wavefront shaping of the driving IR laser offers a viable method for controlling the XUV wavefront in HHG.
• This technique allows for tailoring the XUV beam properties without modifying XUV optical components.
• Enables advanced applications requiring precisely shaped XUV light sources.