From Above-Threshold Photoemission to Attosecond Physics at Nanometric Tungsten Tips

Michael Krueger, M. Schenk, J. Breuer, M. Förster, J. Hammer, J. Hoffrogge, S. Thomas, P. Hommelhoff

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

The interaction of few-cycle laser pulses with a nanometric metal tip is described. We find many effects that the strong-field physics community has discovered with atoms in the last 30 years, and describe them here in experiments with solid nanotips. Starting with a clear identification of several photon orders in above-threshold photoemission, via strong-field effects such as peak shifting and peak suppression, to the observation of a pronounced plateau in electron spectra, we show that we have reached the level of control necessary for attosecond physics experiments. In particular, we observe electronic wavepacket dynamics on the attosecond time scale. Namely, by variation of the carrier-envelope phase of the driving laser pulses, we observe a qualitative change in the electron spectra: For cosine pulses we obtain an almost flat plateau part, whereas for minus-cosine pulses the plateau part clearly shows photon orders. We interpret this change by the occurrence of a single or a double slit configuration in time causing electronic matter wave interference in the time-energy domain.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationSpringer Series in Chemical Physics
Subtitle of host publicationProgress in Ultrafast Intense Laser Science
EditorsK Yamanouchi, K Midorikawa
Chapter12
Pages213-224
ISBN (Electronic)9783642350528
DOIs
StatePublished - 2013
Externally publishedYes

Publication series

NameProgress in Ultrafast Intense Laser Science
Volume104

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