Composition of the Network
1. AMOLF – Amsterdam (The
Netherlands)
- Dr. M.J.J. Vrakking (network coordinator)
2. The University of Lund (Sweden)-
Prof.
Anne L’Huillier
3. CELIA – Bordeaux (France) - Dr.
E.
Constant
4. MPQ-Garching (Germany) – Dr. G.
Tsakiris
and Profs. F. Krausz
5. INFM – Milano(Italy) – Prof. M.
Nisoli
6. IESL FORTH – Heraklion – Prof. D.
Charalambidis
7. CEA – Saclay (France) - Dr. P.
Salières
8. LOA- Palaiseau (France) - Dr. Ph.
Balcou
9. The University of
Birmingham (United
Kingdom) - Prof R.E. Palmer
10. The University of Oxford
(United
Kingdom) - Prof. I. A. Walmsley
11. The University of Szeged
(Hungary)
- Prof. Dr. Sándor Szatmári
12. ETH - Zürich (Switzerland) -
Prof.
Dr. Ursula Keller
13. NRC-Ottawa (Canada) - Dr. P. B.
Corkum
14. FOCUS – Michigan (United States
of
America) - Prof. Philip H. Bucksbaum and Prof. Louis DiMauro
1. AMOLF (The Netherlands) -
Dr.
M.J.J. Vrakking (network coordinator)
The FOM Institute for Atomic and Molecular Physics (AMOLF) is one of
the
five institutes of the Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter
(FOM).
The scientific mission of AMOLF is understanding and modification of
the
physical properties of atomic and (macro)molecular matter. The
laboratory
has a workforce of about 180 people, about half of which are
scientists,
and is organized in 18 research groups.
At AMOLF young researchers can receive training in a state-of-the-art
experimental
techniques, such as the operation of high intensity femtosecond lasers,
advanced
charged particle imaging detectors, the generation and characterization
of
programmable femtosecond laser pulses, etc. Likewise there is
considerable
theoretical expertise on high intensity laser interactions and
ultrafast
molecular dynamics. The institute organizes a weekly colloquium, where
young
researchers can learn about the latest developments in diverse research
areas
as well as weekly work-discussions to stimulate further interaction and
information
exchange. On arrival young researchers are offered a two-week intensive
Dutch
course, to facilitate their integration into institute and country.
Likewise,
AMOLF offers access to management and job-hunting courses.
Within AMOLF this project is a part of collaboration between Prof.
Muller
and Dr. Vrakking. Prof. Muller is an internationally renowned
specialist
on the interaction of atoms with intense laser fields and was involved
in
the first experiment on the observation of attosecond pulses at the
Laboratoire
d’Optique Appliquée in Paris in 2001. The group of Dr. Vrakking
currently
operates the only Terawatt laser facility in the Netherlands, as well
as
a number of state-of-the-art molecular beam machines for studies on the
generation
and application of femtosecond XUV pulses obtained by high harmonic
generation
and laser plasma formation in large clusters and liquid jets. Velocity
map
imaging is part of the core expertise of the group and will be very
useful
to other teams that want to apply this technique to studies of
time-resolved
atomic physics (task B) and time-resolved molecular dissociation (task
C).
Optimal control techniques are an active research area within the
group,
where the group applies evolutionary algorithms to evaluate
experiments,
models and experimental design. Since completing its initial research
infrastructure
in 1999 the group has published 20 papers in refereed journals,
including
four in Physical Review Letters. In 2002 Prof. Muller and Dr. Vrakking
both
presented four invited talks at international conferences.
Several relevant international collaborations supplement the contacts
provided
by the training network. Collaborations on the generation and
characterization
of harmonics exist with Saclay and with Dr. L.J. Frasinski (Reading,
UK).
The group of Dr. Vrakking collaborates with Dr. Ch. Bordas (Lyon,
France),
on velocity map imaging of threshold photoionization and is currently
active
in three Marie Curie research training networks, namely ATTO (as a
sub-contractor
of the University of Lund, Sweden), COCOMO (joint membership with Prof.
W.J.
van der Zande from the University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands) and
PICNIC.
Dr. Vrakking successfully trained Marie-Curie-fellows (Dr. E.
Springate,
Dr. C. Nicole and Dr. S. Zamith).
P. M. Paul, E. S. Toma, P. Breger, G. Mullot, F. Augé, Ph.
Balcou,
H. G. Muller, and P. Agostini, Observation of a Train of Attosecond
Pulses
from High Harmonic Generation, Science 292, 1689 (2001).
C. Nicole, H.L. Offerhaus, M.J.J. Vrakking, F. Lepine and Ch.
Bordas,
Photoionization Microscopy, Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 133001 (2002).
2. The University of Lund
(Sweden)-
Prof. Anne L’Huillier
The Lund Laser Centre (LLC) at the Lund University is the largest unit
in
the Nordic countries within the field of lasers, optics and
spectroscopy.
It is a European Large Scale Facility within the 5th framework
programme
and is applying for continuation within the 6th framework programme.
Research
is performed in basic atomic, molecular and optical physics and
includes
applications to energy, environmental, medical and information
technology
fields. The Lund High-Power Laser Facility is part of the Department of
Physics.
The research group operating the facility is very active intense field
laser/matter
interactions, in particular high-order harmonic generation, hard X-ray
generation
in laser-produced plasmas, ultrafast time-resolved X-ray diffraction
and
relativistic channeling and particle acceleration. The facility
includes
a powerful 10 Hz, 30 TW laser system and a 1 kHz 30 fs laser with about
2
mJ energy. Pulses with 0.5 mJ energy and 10 fs pulse duration are
produced
using post compression in a hollow fiber. A lot of effort has been made
to
well characterize the laser pulses, using the “SPIDER” technique (in
collaboration
with Zürich).
Research on high-order harmonic generation has been one of the main
activities
at facility, since its start in 1992. Fundamental studies,
characterization
of the radiation and applications in different fields of science
(lifetime
measurements in N2, CO and C2H2, XUV interferometry applied to
diagnostics
of laser-produced plasmas, two-photon ionization with high-order
harmonics)
have been developed. Recently, a method to characterize (and control)
the
phase and amplitude of harmonic pulses based upon cross-correlation
with
a short laser pulse has been developed, that can be applied to
measurements
of the pulse width and chirp, similar to cross-correlation frequency
resolved
optical gating (XFROG). A magnetic bottle electron spectrometer with
50%
collection efficiency and about 50 meV energy resolution is used for
electron
detection, while a velocity-map imaging electron detector is presently
being
designed with the help of AMOLF.
Young researchers doing post-graduate and post-doctoral research in
Lund
are exposed to a broad range of front-line research. They work under
excellent
conditions and are given considerable responsibility for major parts of
the
project, the aim being to generate independent and accomplished
scientists.
High-level specialized PhD courses are open for visitors and postdocs.
In
addition, the institute offers PhD students courses in Project
Managment,
Information Management and Reading Skills, Spoken Technical
Communication,
Technical Writing for Publication.
The group in Lund actively collaborates with many European (and
non-European)
groups and especially those of the proposed network: Saclay, Bordeaux,
Zürich,
Toulouse, Amsterdam (LCVU). Another important collaboration exists with
K.
Schafer and M. Gaarde from Louisiana State University for theoretical
support.
A. L'Huillier is the coordinator of the 5th framework RTN network
"Generation
and characterisation of attosecond pulses in strong laser-atom
interactions:
A step towards attophysics" (ATTO). She has extensive experience
training
European postdocs and PhD students. Lund is also actively involved in
the
European Science Foundation programme "FEMTO". A new ESF programme
gathering
all of the network's nodes and many others has been proposed with the
name
"ULTRA".
D. Descamps, L. Roos, C. Delfin, A. L'Huillier, and C.-G.
Wahlström,
Two- and three-photon ionization of rare gases using femtosecond
harmonic
pulses generated in a gas medium, Phys. Rev. A 64, 031401 (R)
(2001).
J. Norin, J. Mauritsson, A. Johansson, M. K. Raarup, S. Buil, A.
Persson,
O. Dühr, M. B. Gaarde, K. J. Schafer, U. Keller, C.-G.
Wahlström,
and A. L'Huillier, Time-Frequency Characterization of Femtosecond XUV
Pulses,
Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 193901 (2002).
3. CELIA – Bordeaux (France)
-
Dr. E. Constant
The CELIA laboratory (Centre Lasers et Applications) was created in
1998
in order to promote the development of intense ultrashort lasers and
their
applications. Among these applications, ultrashort coherent XUV sources
are
developed in order to generate of attosecond pulses and to routinely
perform
application experiments. Other research directions are the emission of
hard
X-rays and the development of ultrashort laser sources. There is also a
strong
theoretical activity on interaction of intense lasers and matter
(atoms,
molecules, clusters and plasmas). The laboratory has a force of about
50
people, 35 of them being scientists.
CELIA being a new laboratory, the laser system is state-of-the art and
can
routinely deliver 30 fs pulses with an energy of 10 mJ per pulse at a
repetition
rate of 1 kHz. Because of the large demand on the XUV system for
applications
(re-enforced by the lack of synchrotron XUV sources in France), the
laser
system operates with two beamlines (3 and 6 mJ per pulse). The research
efforts
on the XUV system are aimed at two goals: generating ultrashort XUV
pulses
(down to sub-femtosecond pulse durations) and the development of
applications
of this XUV source. Both of these activities evolve quickly.
On the XUV source side, tests of
different
harmonic generation geometries (gas cells and gas filled capilaries),
driver
laser wavelengths (400 and 800 nm) and temporal control of the pulse
polarization
have been made to optimize the source and to learn about the
possibilities
for control in terms of spectral, spatial and temporal characteristics.
This
has allowed the definition of optimized source parameters for specific
applications.
Furthermore, techniques for continuously controlling the XUV pulse
duration
(between ~7 fs and >35 fs) have been developed with the aim of
generating
attosecond pulses. System design is always aimed at robustness and
ease-of-use
for external users.
So far XUV applications have mainly been performed in solid state
physics
(time resolved XUV induced photoluminescence and photoemission) by P.
Martin
and A. Belsky, who are world recognized experts in the use of XUV for
studies
in this field. Furthermore, they were among the first experimentalists
to
go from synchrotron radiation to ultrashort high order harmonics. Apart
from
their scientific qualities, one of their strengths is a profound
knowledge
of the synchrotron community and they thus provide efficient knowledge
transfer
to and contacts with this community when high order harmonics are more
adequate
than synchrotron radiation for applications. Experiments on electronic
relaxation
of solids excited by XUV are also regularly performed by S. Guizard
from
Saclay.
The relatively small size of the institute implies frequent exchanges
between
different teams and for instance strong connections exist between the
laser
team and the harmonic team. For instance we developed an innovative
technique
for post-compression of high energy pulses in collaboration with the
laser
group.
E. Mével, O. Tcherbakoff, F. Salin and E. Constant, Extracavity
compression
technique for high-energy femtosecond pulses, JOSA. B, 20 (2003).
E. Constant, D. Garzella, E. Mével, P. Breger, Ch. Dorrer, C. Le
Blanc,
F. Salin and P. Agostini, Optimizing High Harmonic Generation in
Absorbing
Gases:Model and Experiment, Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 1668 (1999).
4. MPQ-Garching (Germany) – Dr.
G.
Tsakiris and Prof. F. Krausz
The activities of the Max-Planck Institute for Quantum Optics in
Garching
are devoted to basic research in the field of the interaction of light
with
matter on both an experimental and theoretical level. Equally,
development
of new laser systems is rigorously pursued for applications in atomic
and
plasma physics. MPQ is organized in 5 main divisions and has altogether
111
staff members (41 scientists + a yearly average 60 guest
researchers,
50 Ph.D. students, and 20 diploma students). Two groupleaders
participate
in XTRA, namely Dr. George Tsakiris and Prof. Ferenc Krausz, who
recently
left the Photonics Institute in Vienna to join MPQ.
Dr. G. Tsakiris
The personnel involved in this proposal are Dr. G. D. Tsakiris from the
laser
plasma group (Prof. K. Witte) and Dr. W. Fuss from the laser chemistry
division
(Prof. K. L. Kompa). The former group has a longstanding experience in
laser
plasma interaction phenomena, harmonic generation from atoms and solid
surfaces,
and development of high intensity laser systems while the latter group
has
successfully used laser based methods to investigate ultrafast
molecular
processes in gases and surfaces (fs laser spectroscopy with transient
ionization).
Both groups have a strong tradition in collaborative research as is
manifested
by the numerous joint publications. The institute has a strong policy
of
support in inviting guest scientists from the international research
community
to participate in an ongoing research effort or establish a new one.
This
provides an international atmosphere leading to mutually beneficial and
pleasant
collaborations, and an attractive environment for graduate students to
join
and perform research leading to PhD. degree. The mode of operation in
performing
research is usually that of a smaller group of young researchers (2-3)
supervised
by an experienced scientist working together towards a specific goal.
In
this effort, there is substantial support by the engineers and the
technical
staff of the Institute. Excellent opportunities are thus provided to
the
young researchers to familiarize themselves with state-of-the-art laser
facilities
and experimental techniques. One example is the high power laser system
ATLAS,
which is a well characterized 10 Hz laser delivering pulses of ~ 130 fs
duration
with up to 1J energy. Although a non-German speaking newcomer has the
opportunity
to attend German language courses, the knowledge of English will
suffice
in performing his/her research. The main weekly seminar of the
Institute
is always given in English.
The plasma physics group has a long record of contacts and
collaborations
in the framework of a training network or independently of it. The same
is
true of the laser chemistry group. One example of a more recent
collaboration
is that with the IESL Institute in Heraklion (Crete) in the framework
of
the ATTO network. The joint effort resulted in developing and
demonstrating
a new method for the characterization of attosecond pulse trains based
on
direct auto-correlation measurements. The hope is to be able to
continue
this effort within the new program. The laser chemistry group recently
collaborated
with the Université Paris Sud (Orsay), investigating ultrafast
dynamics
of ethylene (preliminary) and of tetrafluoroethylene. The group also
has
a cooperation with Osaka City University on ultrafast dynamics of
charge-transfer
reactions; the group in Osaka also aims to produce attosecond pulses.
There
is also a continued cooperation with IESL (Heraklion) on ionization by
high-intensity
ultrashort laser pulses.
G. Nersisyan, N.A. Papadogiannis, D. Charalambidis G. D. Tsakiris and
K.
Witte, A dispersionless Michelson interferometer for the
characterization
of attosecond pulses, E. Goulielmakis Appl. Phys. B, 74, 197
(2002).
N.A. Papadogiannis, L. A. A. Nikolopoulos, D. Charalambidis, G. D.
Tsakiris,
P. Tzallas and K. Witte, Two-photon ionization of He through a
superposition
of higher harmonics, Phys. Rev. Lett. accepted (2003).
Prof. F. Krausz
Researchers of the Photonics Institute have made several contributions
to
pushing the frontiers of ultrafast laser and XUV technology, including
i)
the development of femtosecond laser oscillators and amplifiers
producing
intense light pulses comprising less than 2 field oscillation cycles,
ii)
the theoretical modelling of strong-field light-matter interactions,
iii)
the development of laboratory sources of coherent XUV/soft-X-ray
radiation
extending beyond 500 eV, iv) the generation and measurement of isolated
sub-femtosecond
XUV/soft-X-ray pulses, v) the demonstration of time-resolved atomic
inner-shell
spectroscopy, and vi) the generation of phase-controlled intense light
pulses
for attosecond science. Current research activities relevant to this
proposal
include a) the development of ultrashort-pulse (< 10fs) osillators
and
amplifier systems producing phase-controlled few-cycle pulses, b) the
use
of these pulses for controlling strong-field processes at a
sub-laser-cycle
(attosecond) timescale, c) the reproducible generation and full
characterization
of single sub-femtosecond XUV/SXR pulses, and d) their use for
time-resolved
inner-shell atomic and molecular spectroscopy, drawing on intense
collaborations
with researchers of the Max-Planck-Institute of Quantum Optics (MPQ) at
Garching,
of the University of Bielefeld, and of the NRC Canada.
The above-listed postdoctoral researchers have aquired comprehensive
expertise
in the above areas of research as well as in training and supervising
young
researchers. The expertise of this experienced stuff forming the core
of
a group consisting of 25 researchers from 11 countries constitutes –
along
with the state-of-the-art ultrafast laser and XUV infrastructure of the
institute
– ideal “boundary conditions” for efficient training of early-stage as
well
as more experienced researchers in the emerging fields of attosecond
physics
and related cutting-edge optical technologies.
Prof. Krausz has recently accepted an offer of the Max-Planck-Society
to
become a director at the MPQ. He will start building up a new
laboratory
devoted to attosecond physics and high-field science at the MPQ, which
is
expected to become fully operational in late 2004.
M. Drescher, M. Hentschel, R. Kienberger, M. Uiberacker, V. Yakovlev,
A.
Scrinzi, Th. Westerwalbesloh, U. Kleineberg, U. Heinzmann, F.
Krausz:
"Time-resolved atomic inner-shell spectroscopy"; Nature, 419, 803
-
807 (2002).
A. Baltuska, Th. Udem, M. Uiberacker, M. Hentschel, E. Goulielmakis,
Ch.
Gohle, R. Holzwarth, V. S. Yakovlev, A. Scrinzi, T. W. Hänsch, F.
Krausz,
"Attosecond control of electronic processes by intense light
fields";
Nature, 419, 803 - 807 (2002).
5. INFM - Milano (Italy) -
Prof.
M. Nisoli
The National Laboratory for Ultrafast and Ultraintense Optical Science
(ULTRAS)
of the INFM (Istituto Nazionale per la Fisica della Materia), located
at
the Department of Physics of Politecnico of Milan, has a long-standing
tradition
in the field of ultrashort-pulse laser sources and their applications
to
ultrafast spectroscopy, as well as in surface science and photobiology.
ULTRAS
is headed by Prof. S. De Silvestri, and has a workforce of about 20
people
organized in 4 research groups. ULTRAS has great international
visibility
as a major part of the European facility “Centre for Ultrafast Science
and
Biomedical Optics (CUSBO)”, established at Politecnico. CUSBO is one of
seven
European facilities on lasers and related applications, open to
European
users.
INFM has earned a wide recognition for its work on the generation of
few-cycle
pulses to and their application to laser-matter interactions. ULTRAS is
a
leader in the growth of magnetic thin films and heterostructures, and
in
related spectroscopic techniques. Several unique femtosecond laser
sources
that are available to the international scientific community have been
constructed
along with high resolution measurement techniques. The infrastructure
provides
state-of-the-art laser sources with pulse durations below 10 fs and
either
high peak power (using hollow-fiber compression), or wide tunability
over
the visible (using ultrabroadband OPAs). Ultrashort XUV pulses are
produced
at ULTRAS by high-order harmonic generation, using sub-10-fs driving
pulses.
These pulses can be used for pump-probe experiments at a repetition
rate
up to 1 kHz.
Prof. M. Nisoli’s scientific interests concern (i) the development of
femtosecond
lasers; (ii) high energy pulse compression; (iii) high order harmonic
generation
and (iv) applications of femtosecond pulses to ultrafast spectroscopy.
The
main research interests of Prof. S. De Silvestri are (i) development of
femtosecond
lasers and parametric frequency conversion ; (ii) applications of
ultrashort
laser pulses to non-linear optics and to the study of ultrafast
processes
in polymers, semiconductors and confined systems; and (iii) high-field
physics.
The training program of the young researchers is of high quality and
very
multidisciplinary, including both technological and fundamental
aspects.
Techniques that young scientists will be exposed to are (i) ultrashort
pulse
& high-peak power lasers; (ii) ultrafast optics; (iii) nonlinear
optics;
(iv) time resolved spectroscopic techniques; (v) x-ray and electron
spectrometry;
(vi) vacuum technology; (vii) XUV optics and instrumentation; (viii)
advanced
modelling and computing codes. Moreover several internal seminars are
organized
within the department.
ULTRAS is involved in several relevant international collaborations
that
supplement the network training. A collaboration with MPQ-Garching
exists
on strong-field few-cycle ionization (Prof. H. Walther and Dr. G.G.
Paulus),
and with Prof. U. Keller of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
(Zürich,
Switzerland) on characterization of few-optical-cycle light pulses and
ultrabroadband
dispersive delay lines. There are several collaborations in the field
of
ultrafast spectroscopy in the visible spectral region. The group of
Prof.
S. De Silvestri is involved in the ATTO network. The ESF has approved a
“Femtochemistry”
training network devoted to the organization of workshops and schools,
where
INFM-ULTRAS is an active partner.
G.G. Paulus, F. Grasbon, H. Walther, P. Villoresi, M. Nisoli, S.
Stagira,
E. Priori, and S. De Silvestri, Absolute-phase phenomena in
photoionization
with few-cycle laser pulses Nature 414, 182 (2001).
M. Nisoli, E. Priori, G. Sansone, S. Stagira, G. Cerullo, S. De
Silvestri,
C. Altucci, R. Bruzzese, C. de Lisio, P. Villoresi, L. Poletto, M.
Pascolini,
and G. Tondello, High-Brightness High-Order Harmonic Generation by
Truncated
Bessel Beams in the Sub-10-fs Regime, Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 33902 (2002).
6. IESL - Heraklion (Greece) -
Prof.
D. Charalambidis
The Institute of Electronic Structure and Lasers (IESL) is one of the
six
institutes of the Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (IESL).
FORTH-IESL
operates since 1990 as an European Laser Infrastructure under the
Access
to Large Scale Installations Program (LIP, HCM, TMR and IHP). The
Lasers
and Applications Division and the Theoretical and Computational Physics
division
of IESL have made notable contributions at the international level.
The host institution has a high degree of expertise and prominent
international
presence in the field of generation and characterization of attosecond
pulses
from the very birth of the field. Highlights of the scientific
achievements
include i) the first experimental indication of laboratory attosecond
trains
(see e.g. NATURE Vol. 403 (news and views), issue 24 February 2000, p.
845;
or Physics World Vol. 13, p. 23, February 2000) and more recently ii)
in
collaboration with MPQ Graching the first two-photon ionization induced
by
a coherent superposition of harmonics (PRL in press), which is
currently
used in the first direct measurement of an attosecond pulse train
(second
order autocorrelation of the superposition). Recognition of this work
has
led to a large number of invited talks in major international
conferences.
IESL has established strong international collaborations both through
research
as well as on bilateral basis collaborations. A few examples are: Prof.
Charalambidis
collaborates with Drs. G. Tsakiris and K. Witte (MPQ-Graching) on the
characterization
of attosecond pulses; with Prof. O. Faucher (Univ. of Burgundy) on
applications
of harmonics and coherent manipulations of molecules; with Dr. Witzel
(Univ.
of Freiburg group of H. Helm) on coincidence measurements in multiple
ionization
of atoms; with Dr. Th. Halfmann (Univ. of Kaiserslautern, Group of
Prof.
K. Bergmann) on coherent manipulation of atomic continua; and recently
with
Dr. Ph. Balcou (LOA) on harmonic generation. Prof. P. Lambropulos is
currently
collaborating on strong field interactions of correlated systems with
Prof.
K Taylor and H. v. d. Hart (Univ. of Belfast) and Prof. B. Piraux
(Univ.
Cath. de Louvain). Collaborations of Prof. Th. Kitsopoulos are on
molecular
dynamics and include Prof. D. Parker (Univ. of Nijmegen), Prof.
M.
Ashfold Univ. of Bristol and Prof. J. Aoiz Univ. Comp. Madrid). Dr. S.
Georgiou
is collaborating with Prof. F. Hillenkamp (Univ. of Münster) on
Biophysics,
Prof. von der Linde (Univ. of Essen) on dynamical studies of phase
transitions
and Prof. K.W.D. Ledingham (Univ. of Glasgow) on ultrafast analytical
techniques.
Dr. C. Kalpouzos is collaborating with Dr. A. Mysyrowicz (LOA).
IESL has a long-standing experience in training graduate students,
postdoctoral
fellows and young researchers, both local ones and through
collaborations
within RTNs and other projects. Two Marie Curie training sites are
currently
located in the host institution one of which is highly relevant to the
research
topic of the proposal (IHP Marie Curie Training Site Title:
“Atom/Molecule
Laser Interaction – Physics and Applications” (ALPHA)). Coordinator of
this
training site is the scientist in charge of the present project. The
long-standing
training activities of the host institution in the field have so far
yielded
excellent results, with the vast majority of the trainees going on to
successful
carriers in academia or in the private sector.
N.A.Papadogiannis, B. Witzel, C. Kalpouzos and D. Charalambidis,
Observation
of attosecond light localization in higher order harmonic generation
Phys.
Rev. Lett. 83, 4289 (1999).
N.A. Papadogiannis, G. Nersisyan, E. Goulielmakis, T. P. Rakitzis, E.
Hertz
and D. Charalambidis, G. D. Tsakiris and K. Witte, Temporal
characterization
of short pulse third-harmonic generation in an atomic gas by a
transmission
grating Michelson interferometer Opt. Lett. 27, 1561 (2002).
The ‘Service des Photons, Atomes et Molecules’ (SPAM) is part of the
Département
de Recherche sur l’Etat Condensé, les Atomes et les
Molécules
(DRECAM, itself part of CEA). Fundamental research at SPAM centers on
matter-light
interactions. SPAM has a staff of about 85 persons (50 senior
scientists,
10 technicians and 25 PhD students and postdoctoral fellows). The
femtosecond
facilities at SPAM include 2TW and 10TW, ~10Hz Ti:Sapphire lasers, as
well
as 30GW and – soon - 0.3TW kHz systems, with an extensive technical
support
staff. The Laboratoire Francis Perrin exists inside SPAM as a joint
CEA-CNRS
unit specialized in Physical Chemistry. SPAM has a long tradition and
expertise
in intense laser-matter interactions. Its pioneering results range from
multiphoton
ionization, above-threshold-ionization and multi-photon multiple
ionization
to high-order harmonic generation. The attophysics group (6 seniors, 3
PhD/postdoctorate)
has made important contributions to the development and applications of
this
technique, characterizing spatial profiles and phases, and intrinsic
and
mutual coherence. The temporal and spectral properties have been
investigated,
in particular through a two-color photoionization technique (with Prof.
Muller
at AMOLF) that resulted in a demonstration of attosecond pulses
produced
in HHG (collaboration with LOA). Optimization of the XUV output has
also
been investigated (2 µJ demonstrated at 54nm). HHG at high laser
energy
(> 10mJ) and active control are expected to further improve the
output
and subsequently broaden the range of applications. Besides fundamental
studies,
the group aims at demonstrating the unique potential of harmonics –
ultra-short
duration, coherence – for applications (diagnostics of plasmas,
ultra-fast
electron dynamics in solid state, high-resolution XUV Fourier-transform
spectroscopy).
Studies in molecular dynamics are pursued with Drs Mestdagh and Soep
from
Lab. Francis Perrin, threfore associated to the XTRA project.
SPAM has an extensive experience in training French and European
students
in a very active cross-disciplinary environment. Young researchers
represent
about 30% of the scientific staff in the lab, where they can receive
mentoring
from a significant number of senior scientists. Fruitful exchanges
exist
with the many research institutions in the Paris south area (Orsay,
LULI
and LOA). Regular seminars are organized for young researchers,
inviting
each of them to present his/her work once a year, in addition to
lectures
and courses (including French courses and management courses). Academic
and
CEA services keep the young researchers informed of available positions
within
a large panel of French and foreign laboratories, as well as in
industry.
The attophysics group has collaborations with several labs in France
(e.g.,
LOA, CELIA,LCAR), Europe (e.g., LLC, AMOLF, CUSBO, Univ. Nijmegen) and
outside
Europe (Brookhaven, Kurchatov Institute, Univ. Salt Lake City). The
group
is a partner of the ATTO and PICNIC networks as well as an European
Marie-Curie
training site. It contributes to joint research with European teams in
LIMANS
III and LASERNET. Finally, it is associated to the Integrated
Infrastructure
Initiative for large-scale laser facilities that will be submitted in
FP6.
P. Salières, B. Carré, L. Le Déroff, F. Grasbon,
G.
G. Paulus, H. Walther, R. Kopold, W. Becker, D. B. Milosevic, A.
Sanpera
et M. Lewenstein, "Feynman’s path integral approach for intense
laser-atom
interactions", Science 292, 902 (2001).
J.-F. Hergott, M. Kovacev, H. Merdji, C. Hubert, Y. Mairesse, E. Jean,
P.
Breger, P. Agostini, B. Carré et P. Salières, XUV
high-order
harmonic pulses in the microjoule range, Phys. Rev. A. 66, 021801
(2002).
8. LOA- Palaiseau (France) -
Dr.
Ph. Balcou
The Laboratoire d’Optique Appliquée (LOA) is one of the most
important
optics laboratories in France. It is operated jointly by the Ecole
Nationale
Supérieure de Techniques Avancées (ENSTA) together with
ARMINES,
by the Ecole Polytechnique and by the Centre National de la Recherche
Scientifique
(CNRS). All its activity is centered on the production and applications
of
ultrashort optical pulses, from laser oscillators to ultra-intense
laser
systems and laser-based radiation sources: coherent XUV radiation,
ultrafast
X-rays, laser-accelerated electron or particle beams. Ever since the
3rd
framework programme LOA has partipated in successive Access schemes of
the
European Commission, making it a truly European laboratory, even in the
composition
of the research staff.
Within LOA, the research group on Coherent XUV Sources (SCX) focuses on
various
processes allowing the generation of spatially and spectrally coherent
beams
in the Extreme Ultra-Violet and soft X-ray ranges. The processes
studied
are mainly high harmonic generation in noble gases, and Optical Field
Ionization
XUV lasers. The group includes three senior researchers (Dr S. Sebban,
Dr.
Ph. Balcou (group leader), and Dr C. Valentin), and currently two
postdocs,
two PhD students, one research engineer and one technician. This
important
technical support is a major help to the practical training of young
researchers.
The studies of applications of ultrafast XUV pulses take place on a
dedicated
XUV beamline, which was developed in the course of the FIRE project of
FP4.
It is based on a state-of-the-art Titanium-Sapphire laser system,
delivering
30-fs, 6 mJ pulses, at a 1 kHz repetition rate. Recent optimisation
studies
have shown that up to 1010 XUV photons per shot can be generated at 32
nm
on this beamline, allowing for numerous application experiments. It is
also
possible to take advantage of the major 100 TW “Salle Jaune” laser
facility;
using only a small fraction of the total energy available at 10 Hz,
where
high harmonics can be generated using a few hundreds of mJ of laser
energy;
a high harmonic generation setup will be installed on this high energy
system
within the Laser I3 project.
Highlights of LOA’s involvement with harmonic generation include the
first
demonstration of quasi-phase matching for third harmonic generation
(Lange
et al.), and the first demonstration of attosecond pulses in an
combined
experiment with AMOLF (Prof. H.G. Muller) and Saclay (Dr P. Agostini).
Recent
research objectives have focused on the optimization of the high
harmonic,
source on the 1 kHz beamline, leading to high conversion efficiencies,
and
on the problem of focusing in the XUV range, in order to reach high XUV
focused
intensities.
Early stage researchers appointed at LOA will benefit from the full
training
support of the “Ecole Doctorale” of the Ecole Polytechnique. Several
courses
are organized each year, to introduce the young researcher to methods
and
concepts beyond the strictly scientific training. These courses deal
with
laboratory and enterprise management, decision making, how to create a
high
tech company and job negotiation techniques; they also include language
courses
on scientific english, French as a foreign language, and scientific
communication
skills. Finally, the young researcher have the possibility to attend
the
“Doctoriales” of the Ecole Polytechnique, a one week course where they
learn
how to design a career plan and get in touch with the industrial world.
S. Kazamias, F. Weihe, D. Douillet, C. Valentin, T. Planchon, S.
Sebban,
G. Grillon, F. Augé, D. Hulin and Ph. Balcou, High order
harmonic
generation optimization with an apertured laser beam, European Physical
Journal
D V , I , d02175 (2002).
P. M. Paul, E. S. Toma, P. Breger, G. Mullot, F. Augé, Ph.
Balcou,
H. G. Muller, and P. Agostini, Observation of a Train of Attosecond
Pulses
from High Harmonic Generation, Science 292, 1689-1692
(2001).
9. The University of
Birmingham
(United Kingdom) - Prof R.E. Palmer
The Nanoscale Physics Research Laboratory (NPRL) was established in the
University
of Birmingham in October 1994, following the appointment of Professor
Richard
E. Palmer from Cambridge University, and was formally opened in May
1996
by the UK's Director-General of Research Councils, Professor Sir John
Cadogan,
FRS. The goal of the NPRL is to “advance the frontiers of the physics,
chemistry
and technology of nanometre-scale structures, devices and processes”.
The
establishment of the new Laboratory represented a major investment (2.5
million
euros) by the University of Birmingham - one of the UK's leading
research
universities - and the Wolfson Foundation. Feb. 1997 saw the launch of
two
new centres associated with the Laboratory; the Centre for Nanoscale
Sensors
and Devices and the Regional Centre for Scientific Instruments were
established
through substantial grants (totalling 1.6 million euros) from the
European
Regional Development Fund and the Higher Education Funding Council for
England,
aiming to provide an effective exploitation route for new discoveries
and
a contribution to the industrial regeneration of the West Midlands
region.
In addition, the Joint Infrastructure Fund (JIF) of the UK recently
awarded
a grant of 4.2 million euros to establish phase II of the NPRL in
2000/2001.
An interdisciplinary and international approach is central to the ethos
of
the Laboratory; close collaborations with other Schools (Chemistry,
Engineering,
etc) in Birmingham are complemented by international collaborations
with
approximately 20 labs in Europe and worldwide (the group currently
participates
in 4 EU Networks and hosts 4 research fellows from European countries
other
than the UK; group members come from 15 different countries). The
Laboratory
also has strong links with industrial partners (e.g. Johnson Matthey,
BAe,
Agilent and Philips as well as 10 regional SME’s), allowing transfer of
new
concepts and technology from the research lab into industry. REP was
awarded
the 1996 Charles Vernon Boys Medal and Prize of the Institute of
Physics
and gave the Mott Prize Lecture in 1997.
The research going on in the Laboratory is reflected
in
three main research programmes: (i) Nanoclusters on surfaces; (ii)
Nanoscale
surface modification; and (iii) Nanoscale sensors and devices. Of
special
relevance to the current proposal is the Nanoscale surface modification
(ii),
which includes surface modifications with femtosecond lasers formed by
higher
harmonic generation. The Laboratory is also part of the new UK
Attosecond
Project Consortium which was established in 2003.
Young researchers at Birmingham have the opportunity
of
participating international collaborations because of the links we have
with
research labs worldwide. They will also develop management skills
and
inter personal skills by working in a multinational team.
D. Riedel, L.M.A.Perdigão, J.L. Hernández-Pozos, Q. Guo,
R.E.
Palmer, R.E., J.S. Foord, and K.Kolasinsiki, Surface Photochemistry
Induced
by Ultrafast Pulses of Vacuum Ultraviolet Light: O2/Graphite, Phys.
Rev.
B66, 6667 (2002).
D.Pratontep, P. Preece, C. Xirouchaki, R.E. Palmer, C.F. Sanz-Navarro,
S.D.
Kenny, R. Smith Scaling relations for implantation of size-selected Au,
Ag,
and Si clusters into graphite, Phys. Rev. Lett., 90, 055503 (2003).
10. The University of Oxford
(United
Kingdom) - Prof. I. A. Walmsley
The Clarendon Laboratory is one of three major laboratories of the
Department
of Physics at the University of Oxford. The University is one of the
world’s
leading academic institutions, and the Department of Physics is among
the
most highly rated in the UK. The Atomic and Laser Physics
Sub-Department
within the Clarendon Laboratory houses research efforts in
high-intensity
light-matter interactions, ultracold atomic and molecular gases,
quantum
information processing and ultrafast photonics. The Sub-Department has
12
faculty and approximately 60 research fellows and graduate students,
and
is organized into 8 research groups. Three research groups are involved
in
the interaction of light and matter on ultrashort timescales: The
Ultrafast
Optics group headed by Prof. I. A. Walmsley, the Atomic Theory group of
Prof.
K. Burnett and the Ultrafast X-ray Diffraction group of Prof. J. Wark.
The present proposal is part of a collaboration between Profs. Walmsley
and
Burnett at Oxford, as well as Prof. Tisch at Imperial and Dr. I. Ross
at
Rutherford. This collaboration is funded by the UK EPSRC, and aimed at
developing
an attoscience capability in the UK. Prof. Walmsley has established an
international
reputation as the inventor of SPIDER, a simple and efficient method for
the
characterization of ultrashort optical pulses. This method has been
adopted
by a number of leading research groups around the world, and has been
commercialized.
Prof. Burnett has led a world-class theory effort to model the
interactions
of intense light pulses with single- and multi-electron atoms,
developing
the initial CRAPOLA model for two-electron ionization studies.
Prof.
Tisch is an expert in all aspects of experimental strong-field
interactions.
He ran some of the first experiments in laser-cluster interactions, and
has
assisted in the design and construction of an HHG source. His group at
Imperial
resides in the IC Laser Consortium, in which several other
world-renowned
laser scientists collaborate. Dr. Ross runs a group at the CLF at the
Rutherford
Appleton Laboratory. He has an international reputation in the
development
of high power short pulse lasers and has taken the lead in pioneering
the
development of the technique of OPCPA. Recent work has also
included
the development of diode-pumped amplifiers.
At the Clarendon and partner institutions, young researchers will have
access
to a wide range of facilities for both experiment and theory, and be
immersed
in a strong and broad academic environment. There is considerable
technical
expertise on ultrafast optics, high-power and ultrashort-pulse laser
systems,
coherent control, quantum processes and the theory of coherent
light-matter
interaction, including both atomic and molecular dynamics. The
Clarendon
is host to numerous young scientists at the beginning of their careers
and
provides a supportive environment for them, including close mentoring,
as
they develop their skills. They are given both encouragement and
independence,
and many end up working as academics in institutions around the world.
The research groups involved in this node have extensive international
collaborations
both in the EU and in North America. Particular connections relevant to
the
current project include Dr. L. DiMauro (Brookhaven National Laboratory)
and
Dr. E. Cormier (CELIA-Bordeaux) with whom we are developing metrology
for
XUV pulses.
J.W.G. Tisch, D.D Meyerhofer, T. Ditmire, N. Hay, M.B. Mason and M.H.R.
Hutchinson,
Measurement of the spatio-temporal evolution of high-order harmonic
radiation
using chirped laser pulse spectroscopy, Phys. Rev. Lett.
80, 1204 (1998).
C. Dorrer, E.M. Kosik and I.A. Walmsley, "Direct space-time
characterization
of the electric-field of ultrashort optical pulses", Opt. Lett., 27,
548
(2002).
11. The University of Szeged
(Hungary)
- Prof. Dr. Sándor Szatmári
The High Intensity Laser Laboratory (HILL) of the Department of
Experimental
Physics (DEP) (both headed by Prof. S. Szatmári) are one of the
very
few laboratories involved in the research and development of high
intensity
excimer lasers. DEP is organised in 5 research groups and has a
workforce
of about 30 people, one third of which being scientists. HILL is
operated
by two scientists – belonging to the permanent staff – in strong
cooperation
with visiting scientist from other institutes. The experimental work at
HILL
is based on a KrF excimer high-intensity laser system. Presently the
laser
produces 20 mJ pulses with a 100-600 fs duration which can be focussed
to
a diffraction-limited spot, reaching intensities of 1018 W/cm2. Another
important
activity targets the compression of the laser pulse below 100 fs.
Preliminary
estimations show that 20-30 fs durations are achievable at this short
wavelength.
High-harmonic generation can be efficient even for short wavelength
pumping.
On the other hand the energy of fast electrons generated in laser
plasma
interactions is significantly lower for short wavelength lasers.
Research
in the field of laser-plasma interactions is carried out in cooperation
with
the Plasma Physics Department of the KFKI Research Institute of
Particle
and Nuclear Physics (PPD). Experiments are planned to clear up the
electron
acceleration mechanism and to compare this with infrared lasers. These
experiments
can answer which wavelength is most appropriate for fast ignitor
schemes.
A long-standing cooperation exists with the
Laser-Laboratorium-Göttingen
(LLG) in Germany. The High Intensity Laser Technology Group (headed by
Dr.
P. Simon) of the LLG built the world’s first compact high-brightness UV
laser
system and has the expertise to combine Ti:Sapphire and KrF laser
systems,
providing the most powerful UV short-pulse laser system.
(currently
the world’s shortest pulses at 248 nm are produced at the LLG). In the
network
program harmonic generation will be pursued with state-of-the-art 248
nm
lasers. Special amplifier designs and pulse compression techniques will
be
realised in a collaboration of Szeged and LLG.
At the Department of Experimental Physics (DEP) young researchers can
receive
training in a number of experimental techniques in the following areas:
femtosecond
excimer laser technology, generation and propagation of intense UV
pulses,
fast electronic charging techniques, materials processing,
high-intensity
laser-matter and laser-plasma interactions. In the frame of the PhD
training
programme, there are special courses in the field of general laser
physics,
high-intensity lasers, fast charging circuits and plasmaphysics. There
are
several weekly work discussions to stimulate further interaction and
information
exchange.
The DEP is involved in a NATO SfP 97 1989; project, entitled “High Beam
UV
Lasers for Microelectronics”. The LLG is expected to cooperate closely
Dr.
P. Corkum (NRC, Ottawa), who will adopt the upgraded UV laser
technology
for their attosecond pulse driving apparatus and plans to cooperate
with
the Vienna group in the field of pulse compression. The PPD will
maintain
their already existing collaboration with the Max-Planck-Institut fuer
Quantenoptik,
Garching. In the last two years PPD participated in experiments with
the
ATLAS laser, in which the transport of fast electrons and ions were
investigated
in preformed plasmas and in solids (with Dr. G.D. Tsakiris).
J. Békési, S. Szatmári, P. Simon and G. Marowsky:
Table-Top
KrF Amplifier Delivering 270 fs Output Pulses with over 9 W Average
Power
at 300 Hz, Appl. Phys. B. 75, 521-524 (2002).
C. Dölle, C. Reinhardt, P. Simon, B. Wellegehausen: Generation of
100
µJ pulses at 82.8 nm by frequency tripling of sub-picosecond
KrF-laser
radiation, Appl. Phys. B 75, 629-634 (2002).
12. ETH - Zürich
(Switzerland)
- Prof. Dr. Ursula Keller
The Federal Institute of Technology Zürich (ETHZ) is part of ETH
Zürich,
which comprises 17 departments, 83 institutes and laboratories, 330
professorships
and about 840 lecturers (total staff 7500, 25 % women, 530 PhD
degrees/year).
The Ultrafast Laser Physics Laboratory (ULP) headed by Prof. Dr. Ursula
Keller
is embedded in the Institute of Quantum Electronics (IQE) within the
physics
department, and consists of an All-Solid-State Group (PD. Dr.
Rüdiger
Paschotta), a Novel Semiconductor Device Group (Dr. Silke Schön),
and
the Ultrafast Science Group headed by Dr. Jens Biegert.
Altogether,
ULP has a workforce of 28 people, 9 of which are senior scientists. The
technical
infrastructure in the department is excellent – including an
engineering
bureau, two mechanical workshops, glass blowing, gas liquification, lab
and
computational support.
The Ultrafast Science Group works towards attosecond science using high
harmonic
generation combining coherent control techniques with high field
physics
and using the available extremely high time resolution to study
dynamical
processes in different materials. The group has generated
world-record
pulse durations directly out of Ti:sapphire lasers and more recently
demonstrated
the shortest pulses ever (3.8 fs) in collaboration with the Milano
group.
Prof. Keller was the third top cited researcher during the last decade
in
the field of optoelectronics. Dr. Biegert has an extensive
background
in numerous laser sources from cw to fs and UV to NIR.
In July 2001 financial support was obtained to start a high-field
physics
program. Since then a 1 kHz sub-10-femtosecond laser source
(incl.
shaping capabilities and full single-shot characterization – the core
expertise
of the group) and a high harmonic source have been built.
Dedicated
personal support exists for 5 graduate students, one post-doc and one
part-time
senior academic guest. We have also developed a 34 MHz, 2 mJ,
33-fs
source to be used for harmonic and laser plasma generation, with
applications
in X-ray imaging and microscopy, time-resolved photoelectron
spectroscopy
and ultrafast X-ray diffraction.
At ETHZ young researchers are trained in state-of-the-art experimental
techniques,
such as state-of-the-art high intensity ultrafast lasers, adaptive
shaping
techniques, advanced real-time diagnostics, charged particle imaging
detectors,
etc, and learn about the latest developments in weekly colloquia and
weekly
work-discussions to stimulate further interaction and information
exchange.
Language training is offered at ETH to assist in a swift integration.
Several relevant national and international collaborations supplement
the
contacts provided by the training network. Additionally, the
group
is embedded in a national center of competence in research (NCCR) in
Switzerland
and the Swiss National Science Foundation. We have ongoing
international
collaborations with the groups of De Silvestri and Nisoli (Milano),
L’Huillier
(Lund), Richardson (ORC), Jean-Claude Diels (UNM), Tünnermann
(Jena),
and Marowski (Göttingen).
W. Kornelis, J. Biegert, J. W. G. Tisch, M. Nisoli, G. Sansone, V.
Vozzi,
S. DeSilvestri and U. Keller, Single-shot kilohertz characterization of
ultrashort
pulses by spectral phase interferometry for direct electric-field
reconstruction,
Opt. Lett. 28, 281 (2003).
F. W. Helbing, G. Steinmeyer, J. Stenger, H. R. Telle and U. Keller,
Carrier-envelope offset dynamics and stabilization of femtosecond
pulses,
Appl. Phys. B, 74, S35-S42 (2002 )
13. NRC-Ottawa (Canada) - Dr.
P.
B. Corkum
The National Research Council of Canada is the Canadian Federal
government’s
premier research institution, with approximately 3,000 employees.
Attosecond
science is concentrated in the Femtosecond Science Program (headed by
Dr.
P.B. Corkum) within the Steacie Institute for Molecular Sciences, and
consists
of 5 scientists, four technicians, 9 postdoctoral fellows and 9 Ph. D.
students.
NRC will serve as the hub of the Ottawa node’s contribution to the 6th
framework
Research Training Network “XTRA”. Two members of the femtosecond
science
program, Dr. M. Yu Ivanov and Dr. P. B. Corkum will participateIn
addition,
there are usually about 3 visiting scientists in Ottawa at any
time.
The program operates a number of large laser systems, 7 vacuum systems
including
co-incidence imaging and is a major participant in the Advanced Laser
Light
Source to be built in Montreal.
Two Centers of Excellence and a major laser facility (under
construction)
link the NRC to other laboratories throughout Canada. Drs. A. D.
Bandrauk
(University of Sherbrooke), P. B. Corkum and Dr. T. Brabec (University
of
Ottawa) are members of the National Center of Excellence for Photonics
Innovation.
Dr. Brabec and Dr. Corkum are members of Photonics Research Ontario, a
provincial
(Ontario) center of excellence. All participants in the 6th
framework
project are also participants in the Advanced Laser Light Source. Both
the
University of Sherbrooke and the University of Ottawa have large
computational
facilities. All institutions emphasize the training of students and
postdoctoral
fellows. We currently supervise 8 Ph. D students.
Drs. Corkum, Ivanov and Bandrauk introduced the basic approach to
attosecond
pulse generation and measurement. This research grew out of a long
history
of research in strong field processes in atoms and molecules.
Participants
in the Ottawa node have recently made important theoretical advances in
methods
for attosecond measurement, including those underlying the measurement
of
the 650-attosecond pulses by the group in Vienna, where two Ottawa node
members
participated. The Ottawa node members have noted that attosecond
electron
pulses are implicit in attosecond optical pulses and have imaged wave
packet
motion in H2+ with 200 attosecond, 0.03-Angstrom precision.
Young researchers will be trained in state-of-the-art optical
techniques,
ultra-fast laser engineering, electronics, vacuum technology, and in
spectroscopic
methods used in physics and chemistry. This knowledge is applicable in
a
wide range of companies, including optics and chemical industry.
Theoretical
students will be trained in numerical physics, analytical mathematical
methods,
theoretical photonics, quantum mechanics, and electromagnetic theory.
This
knowledge is in most demand in companies working in optics-, computer-,
and
IT-industry. Seminars will foster close cooperation between
experimental
and theoretical activities. Students will thus get a more complete
picture
of research and a further broadening of their knowledge. Due to the
importance
of attosecond photonics and to the expertise of the principal
investigators,
they will receive training available only at a few places in the
world.
We propose that the network sponsor short term exchanges for young
researchers
between Canada and Europe.
H. Niikura, F. Légaré*, R. Hasbani, A. D. Bandrauk, M.
Yu.
Ivanov, D. M. Villeneuve and P. B. Corkum, “Sub-laser-cycle electron
pulses
for probing molecular dynamics”, Nature, 417, 917, (2002).
H. Niikura F. Légaré*, R. Hasbani, M. Yu. Ivanov, D. M.
Villeneuve
and P. B. Corkum, “Using correlated pairs for
sub-femtosecond-resolution
wave packet measurements”, Nature 421 826 (2003).
14. FOCUS – Michigan (United
States
of America) - Prof. Philip H. Bucksbaum and Prof. Louis
DiMauro
The Center for the Advancement of Frontiers in Optical Coherent
Ultrafast
Science (FOCUS Center) was founded within the NSF Physics
Frontier
Program to provide national leadership in the areas of coherent
control,
ultrafast, and high field physics. The Center has laboratories at
the
University of Michigan and the University of Texas, as well as the
Advanced
Photon Source at Argonne National Lab. FOCUS extends the
frontiers
of the production, control and utilization of sub-picosecond, and
eventually
sub-femtosecond, pulses, from the far-infrared to the hard x-ray
regime.
FOCUS research includes programs to study coherent manipulation of
molecular
bonds and intramolecular dynamics; physics of ultrahigh
(I>1020W/cm2)
laser fields; and the control of entanglement in ultracold atoms and
ions.
The coherent field strengths under direct control span 18 orders of
magnitude,
from ultrarelativistic laser-driven plasmas (TV/cm) to control fields
in
cooled ion traps (mV/cm). Laser driven particle energies range from GeV
to
neV. Much of the coherent control physics developed in one area is
applicable
to another. The research at FOCUS is divided into three major
research
components, or MRC’s:
High Field Control MRC: This MRC explores the frontier of
intense-laser
development, relativistic nonlinear optics, laser-driven plasma physics
and
cluster physics, with potential applications in nuclear science,
astrophysics,
accelerators, material science, and medicine.
Ultrafast Control MRC -- Measurement and Coherent Control: This MRC
develops
ultrafast optical pulse sculpting, coupled to other advanced techniques
such
as adaptive learning algorithms, to advance the frontiers of coherent
control.
The grand challenges that can be addressed by these advances include
coherent
control of molecular dynamics, control of electrical current in
semiconductors,
control of phonons in crystals, and coherent modulation of radiation,
from
far-infrared pulses to x-rays produced at synchrotrons and future x-ray
free
electron lasers.
Quantum Control MRC -- Controlling Quantum Coherence: This MRC studies
the
control of quantum systems with radiation and push the limits of
quantum
complexity and quantum fidelity toward large-scale quantum information
processing.
FOCUS Programs: FOCUS has several programs that advance the goals of
the
international training network. The Fellows program allows outside
researchers
access to laser and x-ray systems developed in the FOCUS center, both
in
Ann Arbor and at the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National
Laboratory.
This program is designed for collaborations and cross-fertilization of
ideas
in all areas of FOCUS. The FOCUS education programs include
web-accessible
graduate courses, undergraduate research opportunities, and graduate
research
fellowships.
M.F. DeCamp, D.A. Reis, P.H. Bucksbaum, B. Adams, J.M. Caraher, R.
Clarke,
R. Merlin, B. Adams, J. Wahlstrand, V. Stoica, E. Dufresne, and C.W.
Conover,
Coherent Control of Pulsed X-ray Beams,Nature, 413, 825 (2001).
A. Doyuran, M. Babzien, T. Shaftan, L.H. Yu, L.F. DiMauro, I. Ben-Zvi,
S.G.
Biedron, W. Graves, E. Johnson, S. Krinsky, R. Malone, I. Pogorelsky,
J.
Skaritka, G. Rakowsky, X.J. Wang, M. Woodle, V. Yakimenko, J. Jagger,
V.
Sajaev, and I. Vasserman, Characterization of a high-gain
harmonic-generation
free-electron laser at saturation, Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 5902 (2001).