Attosecond physics in optical near fields

Heimerl J, Meier S, Herzig A, López Hoffmann F, Seiffert L, Lesko D, Hillmann S, Wittigschlager S, Weitz T, Fennel T, Hommelhoff P (2025)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2025

Journal

DOI: 10.1038/s41567-025-03093-3

Abstract

Attosecond science—the control of electrons by ultrashort laser pulses—is developing into lightfield-driven, or petahertz, electronics. Optical-field-driven nanostructures provide elements for such electronics, which rely on understanding electron dynamics in the optical near field. Here we report near-field-induced low-energy stripes in carrier-envelope-phase-dependent electron spectra—a spectral feature that appears in the direct electrons emitted from a strongly driven nanostructure. These stripes arise from the subcycle sensitivity of the ponderomotive acceleration of electrons injected into a strong near-field gradient by a few-cycle optical waveform. They allow the tracking of direct and rescattered electron emissions on subcycle timescales and provide access to the electron momentum width at emission. Because this effect occurs in the direct electron signal, a large fraction of the emitted electrons can be steered, enabling the isolation of individual attosecond electron bursts with high charge density.

Authors with CRIS profile

Involved external institutions

Universität Rostock Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Heimerl, J., Meier, S., Herzig, A., López Hoffmann, F., Seiffert, L., Lesko, D.,... Hommelhoff, P. (2025). Attosecond physics in optical near fields. Nature Physics. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-025-03093-3

MLA:

Heimerl, Jonas, et al. "Attosecond physics in optical near fields." Nature Physics (2025).

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