Manipulation of quantum paths for space-time characterization of attosecond pulses

Abstract

Attosecond extreme-ultraviolet pulses(1) have a complex space-time structure(2). However, at present, there is no method to observe this intricate detail; all measurements of the duration of attosecond pulses are, to some extent, spatially averaged(1,3-5). A technique for determining the full space-time structure would enable a detailed study of the highly nonlinear processes that generate these pulses as a function of intensity without averaging(6,7). Here, we introduce and demonstrate an all-optical method to measure the space-time characteristics of an isolated attosecond pulse. Our measurements show that intensity-dependent phase and quantum-path interference both play a key role in determining the pulse structure. In the generating medium, the attosecond pulse is strongly modulated in space and time. Propagation modifies but does not erase this modulation. Quantum-path interference of the single-atom response, previously obscured by spatial and temporal averaging, may enable measuring the laser-field-driven ion dynamics with sub-cycle resolution.