Direct generation of intense extreme ultraviolet supercontinuum with 35 fs, 11 mJ pulses from a femtosecond laser amplifier

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the generation of an intense EUV supercontinuum supporting isolated attosecond pulses using high-energy femtosecond laser pulses focused into krypton gas, highlighting the importance of propagation effects.

Contribution

It introduces a method to produce intense EUV supercontinuum with high-energy pulses and emphasizes the role of propagation effects in the process.

Findings

EUV supercontinuum spans 35-50 eV supporting ~271 as pulses

High-energy 11 mJ, 35 fs pulses effectively generate supercontinuum

Propagation effects significantly influence supercontinuum generation

Abstract

We report on the generation of intense extreme ultraviolet (EUV) supercontinuum with photon energies spanning from 35 eV to 50 eV (i. e., supporting an isolated attosecond pulse with a duration of ~271 as) by loosely focusing 35 fs, 11 mJ pulses from a femtosecond laser amplifier into a 10-mm long gas cell filled with krypton gas. The dramatic change of spectral and temporal properties of the driver pulses after passing through the gas cell indicates that propagation effects play a significant role in promoting the generation of the EUV supercontinuum.