Chiral high-harmonic generation and spectroscopy on solid surfaces using polarization-tailored strong fields

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a novel method for chiral high-harmonic generation using polarization-tailored strong fields, enabling ultrafast spectroscopy of surface electronic properties with circular polarization.

Contribution

It introduces circularly-polarized high-harmonic generation in solids for chiral surface spectroscopy, combining polarization control with strong-field techniques.

Findings

Sensitive detection of surface helicity and magnetic order.

Demonstration of circularly polarized high harmonics from solid surfaces.

Potential for ultrafast, broadband, non-resonant surface spectroscopy.

Abstract

Strong-field methods in solids enable new strategies for ultrafast nonlinear spectroscopy and provide all-optical insights into the electronic properties of condensed matter in reciprocal and real space. Additionally, solid-state media offers unprecedented possibilities to control high-harmonic generation using modified targets or tailored excitation fields. Here we merge these important points and demonstrate circularly-polarized high-harmonic generation with polarization-matched excitation fields for spectroscopy of chiral electronic properties at surfaces. The sensitivity of our approach is demonstrated for structural helicity and termination-mediated ferromagnetic order at the surface of silicon-dioxide and magnesium oxide, respectively. Circularly polarized radiation emanating from a solid sample now allows to add basic symmetry properties as chirality to the arsenal of strong-field spectroscopy in solids. Together with its inherent temporal (femtosecond) resolution and non-resonant broadband spectrum, the polarization control of high harmonics from condensed matter can illuminate ultrafast and strong field dynamics of surfaces, buried layers or thin films.