Delve into the realm of the ultrasmall and ultrafast with groundbreaking advances in attosecond science. In recent experiments, researchers at the renowned SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have unveiled innovative techniques to explore the tiniest details of the universe at incredible speeds.
Previously, the team pioneered the creation of X-ray laser bursts lasting mere hundred attoseconds, a feat achieved through X-ray laser-enhanced attosecond pulse generation (XLEAP). This breakthrough method enables scientists to study the intricate processes within biology, chemistry, materials science, and beyond, driven by electrons navigating molecules.
Under the leadership of SLAC scientists Agostino Marinelli and James Cryan, the team has now introduced cutting-edge tools utilizing attosecond pulses in unprecedented ways. These include the first-ever application of attosecond pulses in pump-probe experiments and the generation of the most potent attosecond X-ray pulses on record. These groundbreaking experiments, conducted at SLAC’s Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) X-ray free-electron laser and detailed in two articles in Nature Photonics, hold the potential to transform fields such as chemistry and materials science by shedding light on the fastest movements within atoms and molecules.
The team’s novel approach to “pump-probe” experiments with attosecond X-ray pulses allows for the observation of ultrafast events occurring in less than a trillionth of a second. By exciting atoms with a “pump” pulse and subsequently probing them with a second pulse, researchers can monitor electron dynamics within atoms and molecules, crucial for understanding chemical reactions, material characteristics, and biological processes. By generating laser pulse pairs in two colors and precisely controlling the delay between them to as little as 270 attoseconds, scientists can now witness processes previously beyond their reach.
“This capability opens up new avenues for investigating the interaction between light and matter at the most fundamental level,” remarked Cryan. “It’s truly exciting because it has evolved into a practical tool, enabling us to observe electron dynamics previously inaccessible. We are now witnessing processes that occur on timescales comparable to the time it takes light to traverse a molecule.”
2024-05-13 22:51:02
Original from phys.org