ABSTRACT
We demonstrate a novel pulse shaper in which an incident laser beam is angularly dispersed by a first prism, and then it is split into separate beams using multiple prisms. Since this new pulse shaper offers independent control of the amplitude and phase of the separate beams, it can produce pulses having desired temporal shapes. Furthermore, it imposes a significant amount of negative group delay dispersion (GDD) over an octave spectrum near visible, which can compensate for a positive GDD accumulated in the process of spectral broadening. Consequently, single-cycle or few-cycle laser pulses can be produced without the need for chirped mirrors.
ABSTRACT
High-harmonic radiation can be generated when an ultra-intense laser beam is reflected from an over-dense plasma, known as a plasma mirror. It is considered a promising technique for generating intense attosecond pulses in the extreme ultraviolet and X-ray wavelength ranges. However, a solid target used for the formation of the over-dense plasma is completely damaged by the interaction. Thus, it is challenging to use a solid target for applications such as time-resolved studies and attosecond streaking experiments that require a large amount of data. Here we demonstrate that high-harmonic radiation can be continuously generated from a liquid plasma mirror in both the coherent wake emission and relativistic oscillating mirror regimes. These results will pave the way for the development of bright, stable, and high-repetition-rate attosecond light sources, which can greatly benefit the study of ultrafast laser-matter interactions.
