Temporal structure of attosecond pulses from laser-driven coherent synchrotron emission

TL;DR

This paper investigates the microscopic dynamics of laser-driven coherent synchrotron emission using particle-in-cell simulations, revealing two distinct electron nanobunches emitting at different times and frequencies, enabling generation of ultrashort pulses.

Contribution

It uncovers the formation of two electron nanobunches in laser-driven coherent synchrotron emission and demonstrates spectral filtering to produce ~70 attosecond pulses.

Findings

Two electron nanobunches form each half-cycle of the laser pulse.

Emissions from nanobunches are separated by 130 attoseconds.

Spectral filtering can isolate emissions to generate ~70 as pulses.

Abstract

The microscopic dynamics of laser-driven coherent synchrotron emission transmitted through thin foils are investigated using particle-in-cell simulations. For normal incidence interactions, we identify the formation of two distinct electron nanobunches from which emission takes place each half-cycle of the driving laser pulse. These emissions are separated temporally by 130 attoseconds and are dominant in different frequency ranges, which is a direct consequence of the distinct characteristics of each electron nanobunch. This may be exploited through spectral filtering to isolate these emissions, generating electromagnetic pulses of duration ~70 as.