Controlled Polar Asymmetry of Few-Cycle and Intense Mid-Infrared Pulses

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the generation and control of intense, phase-locked mid-infrared pulses with controlled polar asymmetry, enabling new possibilities for manipulating condensed matter and light-matter interactions.

Contribution

It introduces a method to synthesize super-octave-spanning, phase-locked mid-infrared pulses with adjustable polar asymmetry using fundamental and second harmonic components.

Findings

Achieved amplitudes exceeding 13 MV/cm in the mid-infrared range.

Controlled sub-cycle polar asymmetry of the electric field.

Resolved the asymmetric waveforms via ultrabroadband electro-optic sampling.

Abstract

We demonstrate synthesis of super-octave-spanning and phase-locked transients in the multi-terahertz frequency range with amplitudes exceeding 13 MV/cm. Sub-cycle polar asymmetry of the electric field is adjusted by changing the relative phase between superposed fundamental and second harmonic components. The resultant broken symmetry of the field profile is directly resolved via ultrabroadband electro-optic sampling. Access to such waveforms provides a direct route for control of low-energy degrees of freedom in condensed matter as well as non-perturbative light-matter interactions.