Focus
Attosecond photonics
- Focus issue:
- March 2014 Volume 8 No 3 pp161-264
Attosecond photonics, currently one of the most promising branches of modern photonics, is progressing at an extremely rapid pace. Although still in its infancy, it has already captured the imagination of the scientific community with its promise of enhancing our understanding of ultrafast phenomena of direct relevance to life, technology and potentially medicine.
Editorial
A matter of time - p161
doi:10.1038/nphoton.2014.51
Although still in its infancy, attosecond science has already captured the imagination of the scientific community with its promise of enabling rapidly evolving phenomena in nature to be investigated.
Full Text - A matter of time | PDF (163 KB) - A matter of time
Commentary
What will it take to observe processes in 'real time'? - pp162 - 166
Stephen R. Leone, C. William McCurdy, Joachim Burgdörfer, Lorenz S. Cederbaum, Zenghu Chang, Nirit Dudovich, Johannes Feist, Chris H. Greene, Misha Ivanov, Reinhard Kienberger, Ursula Keller, Matthias F. Kling, Zhi-Heng Loh, Thomas Pfeifer, Adrian N. Pfeiffer, Robin Santra, Kenneth Schafer, Albert Stolow, Uwe Thumm & Marc J. J. Vrakking
doi:10.1038/nphoton.2014.48
Even for simple systems, the interpretations of new attosecond measurements are complicated and provide only a glimpse of their potential. Nonetheless, the lasting impact will be the revelation of how short-time dynamics can determine the electronic properties of more complex systems.
Full Text - What will it take to observe processes in �real time�? | PDF (1,025 KB) - What will it take to observe processes in �real time�?
Reviews
The generation, characterization and applications of broadband isolated attosecond pulses - pp178 - 186
Michael Chini, Kun Zhao & Zenghu Chang
doi:10.1038/nphoton.2013.362
This review discusses significant recent advances in the generation, characterization and application of ultrabroadband isolated attosecond pulses with a spectral bandwidth comparable to the central frequency, which can in principle be compressed to a single optical cycle.
Abstract - The generation, characterization and applications of broadband isolated attosecond pulses | Full Text - The generation, characterization and applications of broadband isolated attosecond pulses | PDF (1,734 KB) - The generation, characterization and applications of broadband isolated attosecond pulses
Manipulating quantum paths for novel attosecond measurement methods- pp187 - 194
Kyung Taec Kim, D. M. Villeneuve & P. B. Corkum
doi:10.1038/nphoton.2014.26
Attosecond light pulses are used for ultrahigh-resolution observations of ultrafast phenomena in atoms, molecules and condensed matter. Measuring the durations of such pulses is challenging because the spectrum lies in the vacuum ultraviolet or soft-X-ray range. This article reviews and compares two methods — photoionization and photorecombination — for measuring the duration of attosecond pulses.
Abstract - Manipulating quantum paths for novel attosecond measurement methods | Full Text - Manipulating quantum paths for novel attosecond measurement methods | PDF (1,260 KB) - Manipulating quantum paths for novel attosecond measurement methods
Attosecond molecular dynamics: fact or fiction? - pp195 - 204
Franck Lépine, Misha Y. Ivanov & Marc J. J. Vrakking
doi:10.1038/nphoton.2014.25
Attosecond science allows the role of electronic coherence in the control of chemical reactions in molecular systems to be investigated. This article reviews recent activities in attosecond molecular science and identifies some promising directions for further development.
Abstract - Attosecond molecular dynamics: fact or fiction? | Full Text - Attosecond molecular dynamics: fact or fiction? | PDF (1,013 KB) - Attosecond molecular dynamics: fact or fiction?
Attosecond metrology: from electron capture to future signal processing - pp205 - 213
Ferenc Krausz & Mark I. Stockman
doi:10.1038/nphoton.2014.28
This article reviews the basic concepts underlying attosecond measurement and control techniques. Emphasis is given to exploring the fundamental speed limit of electronic signal processing that employs ultimate-speed electron metrology provided by attosecond technology.
Abstract - Attosecond metrology: from electron capture to future signal processing | Full Text - Attosecond metrology: from electron capture to future signal processing | PDF (1,372 KB) - Attosecond metrology: from electron capture to future signal processing