Measuring and controlling the birth of quantum attosecond pulses

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the generation and control of quantum-correlated attosecond XUV pulses by combining non-classical light with strong fields, enabling quantum state reconstruction and sub-cycle manipulation of ultrafast phenomena.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method to imprint and measure quantum correlations in attosecond pulses using a combination of squeezed vacuum and coherent fields in high harmonic generation.

Findings

Quantum correlations are imprinted onto harmonics from non-classical input light.

Homodyne-like tomography reconstructs the quantum state of attosecond pulses.

Photon statistics of attosecond pulses can be manipulated with sub-cycle precision.

Abstract

The generation and control of extreme ultraviolet (XUV) radiation by high harmonic generation (HHG) have advanced ultrafast science, providing direct insights into electron dynamics on their natural time scale. Attosecond science has established the capability to resolve ultrafast quantum phenomena in matter by characterizing and controlling the classical properties of the high harmonics. Recent theoretical proposals have introduced novel schemes for generating and manipulating XUV HHG with distinct quantum features, paving the way to attosecond quantum optics. In this work, we transfer fundamental concepts in quantum optics into attosecond science. By driving the HHG process with a combination of an infrared bright squeezed vacuum (BSV, a non-classical state of light), and a strong coherent field, we imprint the quantum correlations of the input BSV onto both the ultrafast electron wavefunction and the harmonics' field. Performing in-situ HHG interferometry provides an insight into the underlying sub-cycle dynamics, revealing squeezing in the statistical properties of one of the most fundamental strong-field phenomena -- field induced tunneling. Our measurement allows the reconstruction of the quantum state of the harmonics through homodyne-like tomography, resolving correlated fluctuations in the harmonic field that mirror those of the input BSV. By controlling the delay between the two driving fields, we manipulate the photon statistics of the emitted attosecond pulses with sub-cycle accuracy. The ability to measure and control quantum correlations in both electrons and XUV attosecond pulses establishes a foundation for attosecond electrodynamics, manipulating the quantum state of electrons and photons with sub-cycle precision.