Measurement of the Phase of Few-Cycle Laser Pulses

G. G. Paulus, F. Lindner, H. Walther, A. Baltuška, E. Goulielmakis, M. Lezius, and F. Krausz
Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 253004 – Published 18 December 2003

Abstract

For the shortest pulses generated to date, the amplitude of the electromagnetic wave changes almost as rapidly as the field oscillates. The temporal variation of the field, which directly governs strong-field interactions, therefore depends on whether the maximum of the pulse amplitude coincides with that of the wave cycle or not, i.e., on the phase of the field with respect to the pulse envelope. It is demonstrated that the direction of electron emission from photoionized atoms can be controlled by varying the phase of the field, providing for the first time a tool for its accurate determination. Directing fast electron emission to the right or to the left with the light phase constitutes a new kind of coherent control.

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  • Received 17 June 2003

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.91.253004

©2003 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

G. G. Paulus1,2,3, F. Lindner2, H. Walther2,3, A. Baltuška4, E. Goulielmakis4, M. Lezius4,5, and F. Krausz2,4

  • 1Department of Physics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-4242, USA
  • 2Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, 85748 Garching, Germany
  • 3Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 85748 Garching, Germany
  • 4Institut für Photonik, Technische Universität Wien, Gusshausstrasse 27, A-1040 Wien, Austria
  • 5Institut für Ionenphysik, Universität Innsbruck, Technikerstrasse 25, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria

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Issue

Vol. 91, Iss. 25 — 19 December 2003

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