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Science 28 November 2003:
Vol. 302. no. 5650, pp. 1540 - 1543
DOI: 10.1126/science.1090277
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Reports

Attosecond Synchronization of High-Harmonic Soft X-rays

Y. Mairesse,1 A. de Bohan,1 L. J. Frasinski,2 H. Merdji,1 L. C. Dinu,3 P. Monchicourt,1 P. Breger,1 M. Kovacev,1 R. Taïeb,4 B. Carré,1 H. G. Muller,3 P. Agostini,1 P. Salières1

Subfemtosecond light pulses can be obtained by superposing several high harmonics of an intense laser pulse. Provided that the harmonics are emitted simultaneously, increasing their number should result in shorter pulses. However, we found that the high harmonics were not synchronized on an attosecond time scale, thus setting a lower limit to the achievable x-ray pulse duration. We showed that the synchronization could be improved considerably by controlling the underlying ultrafast electron dynamics, to provide pulses of 130 attoseconds in duration. We discuss the possibility of achieving even shorter pulses, which would allow us to track fast electron processes in matter.

1 Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique, DRECAM/SPAM, Centre d'Etudes de Saclay, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
2 The University of Reading, J. J. Thomson Physical Laboratory, Whiteknights, Post Office Box 220, Reading RG6 6AF, UK.
3 FOM-Institute for Atomic and Molecular Physics, Kruislaan 407, 1098 SJ Amsterdam, Netherlands.
4 Laboratoire de Chimie Physique-Matière et Rayonnement, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, 11 Rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France.

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