Spatial control of extreme ultraviolet light with opto-optical phase modulation

TL;DR

This paper presents a novel method for controlling extreme-ultraviolet light by using opto-optical phase modulation guided by a geometrical model, allowing precise shaping of XUV light through infrared pulse manipulation.

Contribution

The authors introduce a new approach combining opto-optical modulation with a geometrical model to deterministically shape XUV light, overcoming previous control challenges.

Findings

Infrared pulse shape directly influences XUV far-field profile.

The geometrical model accurately predicts XUV shaping outcomes.

Demonstrated control enables potential applications in ultrafast optics.

Abstract

Extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) light is notoriously difficult to control due to its strong interaction cross-section with media. We demonstrate a method to overcome this problem by using Opto-Optical Modulation guided by a geometrical model to shape XUV light. A bell-shaped infrared light pulse is shown to imprint a trace of its intensity profile onto the XUV light in the far-field, such that a change in the intensity profile of the infrared pulse leads to a change in the shape of the far-field XUV light. The geometrical model assists the user in predicting the effect of a specific intensity profile of the infrared pulse, thus enabling a deterministic process.