Laser-driven high harmonic generation is a promising technique for the production of XUV pulses. These pulses offer unprecedented access to the attosecond temporal and nanometre spatial scales. Unfortunately the widespread implementation of these sources is hampered by their limited wavelength tunability and low fluxes.

The use of bow-tie antennae for high harmonic generation via nanoplasmonic field enhancement offers a viable route to addressing these problems. Our research focuses on the processes leading to high harmonic generation occurring in nanostructures of different size, shape and composition. These nanostructures are tailor-made in order to gain sufficient field strength for the formation of XUV radiation with few-cycle driving laser pulses. We aim to understand, optimize and use the processes leading to nanolocalized plasmonic fields within ordered nanostructures for high harmonic generation ultimately reaching into the attosecond regime.

People: Dr. Sarah Stebbings, Frederik Süssmann, Yingying Yang

Partners: Dr. A Apolonskiy & Prof. U Kleineberg (LMU), Prof. M Stockman (GSU Atlanta), Dr. J Schuck & Dr. A Weber-Bargioni (Molecular Foundry, Berkeley), Prof. E Rühl (FU Berlin), Dr. V Yakovlev, Dr. E Goulielmakis & Prof. F Krausz (MPQ)