# Controlling the ellipticity of attosecond pulses produced by laser irradiation of overdense plasmas

## TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how to control the ellipticity of attosecond pulses generated by laser irradiation of overdense plasmas, enabling the production of circularly polarized pulses through parameter tuning.

## Contribution

It introduces a method to tune the polarization state of attosecond pulses using the RES model and PIC simulations, including achieving circular polarization.

## Key findings

- Polarization of attosecond pulses can be controlled by laser parameters.
- Circularly polarized attosecond pulses are achievable in various setups.
- The RES model effectively predicts polarization control outcomes.

## Abstract

The interaction of high-intensity laser pulses and solid targets provides a promising way to create compact, tunable and bright XUV attosecond sources that can become a unique tool for a variety of applications. However, it is important to control the polarization state of this XUV radiation, and to do so in the most efficient regime of generation. Using the relativistic electronic spring (RES) model and particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations, we show that the polarization state of the generated attosecond pulses can be tuned in a wide range of parameters by adjusting the polarization and angle of incidence of the laser radiation. In particular, we demonstrate the possibility of producing circularly polarized attosecond pulses in a wide variety of setups.