Enhanced high-order harmonic generation from Xe, Kr, and Ar in a capillary discharge
- NSF ERC for Extreme Ultraviolet Science and Technology, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1373 (United States)
- NSF ERC for Extreme Ultraviolet Science and Technology, Department of Physics and JILA, University of Colorado and National Institute of Standards and Technology, 440 UCB, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0440 (United States)
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, 223 Sharp Laboratory, Newark, Delaware 19716 (United States)
We report the use of a preionized medium created by a capillary discharge to extend the cutoff photon energy in high-order harmonic generation. The observed enhancements result from a combination of reduced ionization energy loss and reduced ionization-induced defocusing of the driving laser. We observe harmonic emission from Xe up to a photon energy of 160 eV, and we extend this technique to other noble gases, observing photons with energies up to 170 eV from Kr and 275 eV from Ar. The discharge plasma also provides a means to spectrally tune the harmonics by tailoring the initial level of ionization of the medium. Our results are interpreted using a hydrodynamic-atomic physics model of the discharge plasma. This work demonstrates that capillary discharges are a versatile and general method for generating harmonics, in particular from ions. Finally, this approach should be scalable to efficiently generate coherent light at much shorter wavelengths, in combination with phase-matching techniques.
- OSTI ID:
- 21011312
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review. A, Vol. 76, Issue 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevA.76.013816; (c) 2007 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1050-2947
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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