Two-Color Laser Field Produces Isolated Attosecond Laser Pulses

Researchers at the RIKEN Advanced Science Institute and the Vienna University of Technology have co-developed a method to generate isolated attosecond laser pulses. Eiji Takahashi and his colleagues utilized a two-color laser field, which is a pump laser with an 800 nm wavelength placed over on one of the 1,300 nanometers.

The two-laser combination enabled the production of a higher harmonic spectrum and also eliminated the need to stabilize the carrier envelope phase. The researchers utilized low-cost traditional lasers for the pulse generation.

Takahashi stated that the two-color laser method allows the suppression of gas target ionization. An energy-scaling scheme and a phase-matching technique can be used to generate isolated attosecond pulses. This technique has the potential to create  attosecond, isolated ultraviolet x-ray pulses from a tabletop system. Takahashi expects that the new technique will open up new innovations in the nonlinear attosecond science.