Extreme Nonlinear Optics: Understanding and Manipulating Harmonic Generation
Dr. Amy Lytle
Department of Physics, Franklin & Marshall College
Wednesday, February 2, 2010
4:00 PM, Roddy 149
ALL INVITED

ABSTRACT:

In the process of harmonic generation, interaction of high intensity laser light with optical materials can lead to the production of light at higher frequencies. Today, harmonic generation is routinely exploited to produce laser light with an expanded array of desired properties, including tunable wavelengths and short pulse durations. Using high-power, ultrashort-pulsed lasers, harmonic generation can be pushed to the extreme, converting visible laser light into the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and soft x-ray region of the spectrum. This process, called high-order harmonic generation (HHG), is used at the cutting edge of short wavelength and high field science. Scientists use HHG for high resolution imaging, time-resolved molecular studies, and as the basis for the new field of attosecond science. In this talk, I will introduce HHG and a new, optical technique for improving the efficiency of the harmonic conversion process. This technique, using counterpropagating light, also allows us to probe more deeply, giving us previously inaccessible information about the process of HHG.