Polarization state of high-order harmonic emission from aligned molecules

High harmonic emission in isotropic gases is polarized in the same direction as the incident laser polarization. Laser-induced molecular alignment allows us to break the symmetry of the gas medium. By using aligned molecules in high harmonic generation experiments, we show that the polarization of t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review letters 2007-12, Vol.99 (24), p.243001-243001, Article 243001
Main Authors: Levesque, Jérôme, Mairesse, Yann, Dudovich, Nirit, Pépin, Henri, Kieffer, Jean-Claude, Corkum, P B, Villeneuve, D M
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:High harmonic emission in isotropic gases is polarized in the same direction as the incident laser polarization. Laser-induced molecular alignment allows us to break the symmetry of the gas medium. By using aligned molecules in high harmonic generation experiments, we show that the polarization of the extreme ultraviolet emission depends strongly on the molecular alignment and the orbital structure. Polarization measurements give insight into the molecular orbital symmetry. Furthermore, molecular alignment will allow us to produce attosecond pulses with time-dependent polarization.
ISSN:0031-9007
1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/physrevlett.99.243001