Single attosecond XUV pulse source via light-wave controlled relativistic laser-plasma interaction: Thomson Back Scattering Scheme

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a method to generate isolated attosecond extreme ultraviolet pulses using a relativistic electron mirror created by a tailored laser pulse interacting with a nanometer-scale foil, enabling controlled ultrafast light sources.

Contribution

It introduces a waveform optimization technique to reliably produce a single relativistic electron sheet for attosecond pulse generation, advancing ultrafast light source technology.

Findings

Optimized laser waveform produces a single relativistic electron sheet.

Tuning delay controls pulse amplitude, duration, and bandwidth.

Simulations show effective generation of isolated attosecond pulses.

Abstract

Reflecting light off a mirror moving near light speed offers a powerful method for generating bright, ultrashort pulses in the extreme ultraviolet range. Several investigations show that dense relativistic electron mirrors can be created by striking a nanometre-scale foil with a high-intensity, sharp-front laser pulse, forming a single relativistic electron sheet (RES). This RES coherently reflects and upshifts a counter-propagating laser beam from the infrared to the extreme ultraviolet with efficiency exceeding incoherent scattering by over several orders of magnitude. Here we demonstrate that optimizing the drive laser waveform can reliably produce a single RES, leading to generation of isolated \emph{attosecond} pulses enhancing both intensity and temporal compression of the back reflected light in a controlled manner. Simulations reveal that tuning parameters like timing delay enables control over the amplitude, duration, and bandwidth of the resulting attosecond Thomson backscattering pulse. Together, these advances meet key experimental challenges and pave the way for compact, tunable sources of isolated attosecond pulses for probing ultrafast phenomena.