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Optical physics

Speedy electrons exposed in a flash

Nature volume 538, pages 325–326 (2016)Cite this article

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A link has been established between high-frequency light emissions and electron oscillations induced in an insulator by a laser. This is a key step in efforts to make electronic devices that work faster than is currently possible. See Letter p.359

The speed at which electronic devices can function is determined by the frequency at which alternating electric currents can be driven in the device. One approach that might surpass the present frequency limit is to drive currents using the nonlinear response of electrons to the oscillating electric field of light. On page 359, Garg et al.1 report key advances in efforts to realize this goal: the use of intense laser pulses to induce currents controllably at frequencies more than 100 times higher than the present limit, and an approach that allows the associated electron oscillations to be measured.

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Figure 1: Differences between high-order harmonic emissions from solids.

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Michael Chini is in the Department of Physics, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32816-2385, USA.,

    Michael Chini

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  1. Michael Chini
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Correspondence to Michael Chini.

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Optical physics: Ultrashort light pulses shake atoms

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Chini, M. Speedy electrons exposed in a flash. Nature 538, 325–326 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/538325a

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