Relativistic frequency upshift to the extreme ultraviolet regime using self-induced oscillatory flying mirrors

Coherent short-wavelength radiation from laser–plasma interactions is of increasing interest in disciplines including ultrafast biomolecular imaging and attosecond physics. Using solid targets instead of atomic gases could enable the generation of coherent extreme ultraviolet radiation with higher e...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature communications 2012-11, Vol.3 (1), p.1231, Article 1231
Main Authors: Kim, I Jong, Pae, Ki Hong, Kim, Chul Min, Kim, Hyung Taek, Yun, Hyeok, Yun, Sang Jae, Sung, Jae Hee, Lee, Seong Ku, Yoon, Jin Woo, Yu, Tae Jun, Jeong, Tae Moon, Nam, Chang Hee, Lee, Jongmin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
639/766/400/584
639/766/419
Humanities and Social Sciences
Interferometry
Lasers
Molecular Imaging - methods
multidisciplinary
Nanostructures
Photons
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Ultraviolet Rays
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Summary:Coherent short-wavelength radiation from laser–plasma interactions is of increasing interest in disciplines including ultrafast biomolecular imaging and attosecond physics. Using solid targets instead of atomic gases could enable the generation of coherent extreme ultraviolet radiation with higher energy and more energetic photons. Here we present the generation of extreme ultraviolet radiation through coherent high-harmonic generation from self-induced oscillatory flying mirrors—a new-generation mechanism established in a long underdense plasma on a solid target. Using a 30-fs, 100-TW Ti:sapphire laser, we obtain wavelengths as short as 4.9 nm for an optimized level of amplified spontaneous emission. Particle-in-cell simulations show that oscillatory flying electron nanosheets form in a long underdense plasma, and suggest that the high-harmonic generation is caused by reflection of the laser pulse from electron nanosheets. We expect this extreme ultraviolet radiation to be valuable in realizing a compact X-ray instrument for research in biomolecular imaging and attosecond physics. Generation of ultrafast X-rays using lab-based laser sources is promising for numerous spectroscopic and imaging techniques. By generating a long underdense plasma in a solid, Kim et al. show relativistic frequency upshift of a laser pulse to 4.9 nm, caused by reflection from electron nanosheets.
ISSN:2041-1723
2041-1723
DOI:10.1038/ncomms2245