Paper 13364-501
Paper 13364-501
A plasma perspective on attosecond and THz science (Plenary Presentation)
27 January 2025 • 8:15 AM - 8:55 AM PST | Moscone South, Room 207/215 (Level 2)
Abstract
Attoseconds: When intense light interacts with a gas of atoms (or a transparent solid), electron wave packets are released. Attosecond pulse formation exploits the correlated electrons and holes, forcing the electron to return. Without the plasma connection, two of the most important strong-field process that accompany attosecond pulse formation—hot electron formation (inverse Bremsstrahlung) and non-sequential double ionization (collisional ionization)—seemed mysterious. These plasma-like processes lead to laser induced electron diffraction and orbital tomography.
THz generation: Terahertz pulse formation by ionization has a similar linage. Using PIC codes to describe azimuthally polarized l=4 mm and 2 mm light interacting with a 150 µm thick jet of helium, we calculate THz pulses reaching 8.5 Tesla. But 10 Tesla is not a limit. 30 THz azimuthally polarized beams can be amplified in high-pressure CO2 reaching isolated magnetic fields of 1-gigagauss.
THz generation: Terahertz pulse formation by ionization has a similar linage. Using PIC codes to describe azimuthally polarized l=4 mm and 2 mm light interacting with a 150 µm thick jet of helium, we calculate THz pulses reaching 8.5 Tesla. But 10 Tesla is not a limit. 30 THz azimuthally polarized beams can be amplified in high-pressure CO2 reaching isolated magnetic fields of 1-gigagauss.
Presenter
Univ. of Ottawa (Canada)
Paul Corkum graduated from Lehigh University, USA, in 1972 with a Ph. D. in theoretical physics. In 1973 he joined the staff of the National Research Council of Canada where he built one of the world’s most famous groups working on the interaction of very short light pulses with matter. Corkum is a Full Professor of Physics and Distinguished Research Chair of Attosecond Science at the University of Ottawa, and directs the Joint National Research Council of Canada / University of Ottawa Attosecond Science Laboratory (JASLab).